The Legend of Spyro: A Dark Beginning
by Slapstick70
Summary: We've learned that war has always been full of death, pain, and misery. In this story, we retell what happened with all the side effects of war. Also with an OC character that will make things more interesting. So enjoy a story that shows what war can do.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: slapstick here. Well this is my first ever Spyro fic. I have had this story on my mind for the longest time. It's actually the reason why my other story took so long. Well I finally get to bring it out. Enjoy the retelling of The Legend of Spyro.

Chapter 1

"_We have all looked forward to this time. The year of the dragon,"_ thought an older looking dragon named Ignitus. A red dragon who part of a group of leaders called the guardians. He walked through the halls of the temple in which he and others reside. _"This particular year is one of excitement. Once every ten generations a special dragon is born. A dragon born to wield all the elements at once. However, another dragon has heard of the legend. We have been at war with him for as long as I can remember. He goes by The Dark Master. Our goal is to protect the eggs, including the purple one, from the enemies until they hatch. Though I fear this is easier said then done."_

"Master Ignitus sir" Ignitus turned. He notices a young red dragon straight out of the academy. He was about Ignitus' height. Though young, he was one of the best dragons.

"What is it Kasai?" said Ignitus

"It's getting late sir. You should get some rest. We can handle the guard duty sir" said Kasai

"I was just going to check on the eggs then I was going to the nursery to check on…" before Ignitus could finish a bell began to ring.

"What is that" said Kasai. He's had no real battling experience so this was all still new to him.

"It's the alarm," said Ignitus, "We're under attack. Come with me" Both Ignitus and Kasai headed to the egg chamber. Ignitus feared that the eggs have been destroyed. As they approached the chambers they spotted some other dragons hiding in the meeting room. They were women, children, or male dragons injured in battle. He noticed a blue dragon running down the hall. He has a more sophisticated look to him. He was about a year younger than Ignitus, and also one of the dragon guardians. "Cyril" called Ignitus.

"No time Ignitus" said Cyril as he ran past Ignitus and Kasai. At that same time he saw another dragon running down the hall. This dragon was yellow with blue markings. He too is one of the guardians, but he is the youngest. He was indeed a smart dragon just very talkative.

"Volteer" called Ignitus.

"Ignitus" replied Volteer

"Volteer I need you to do something" said Ignitus

"What is it Ignitus?"

"Head to the meeting room. There are some dragons there. Lead them the emergency escape and make sure they get out of here safely." Volteer accepted and headed to the meeting room. Ignitus and Kasai made their way to the egg chamber.

"Master Ignitus," said Kasai, "not to be rude but shouldn't we help fight off the enemy?"

"We will but we need to see if the eggs are alright" replied Ignitus. As they approached the chambers they feel the temple moving from every strike by an enemy attack. They here the cries and painful screams of soldiers dying outside. It was a terrible thing but that it the price of war. They arrived at the door to the chambers. Ignitus opens his mouth and shoots a ball of fire at a special door that only opens to a fire dragons attack. Ignitus and Kasai ran inside to see the eggs, including the purple egg, were still ok. "Thank the ancestors"

"Ignitus" yelled a powerful voice. Another soon entered right behind him. This dragon was of a dark green complexion. He was built for battle; he's also one of the guardians, second in command, and Ignitus' best friend.

"Master Terrador" said Kasai

"Kasai I need you to go to the north side to fight off any enemy that gets in." said Terrador

"Yes sir" Kasai left the room to fulfill his duties.

"What's going on out there?" asked Ignitus

"There are too many of them," replied Terrador, "They'll over run us soon. I'll stay and try to fend them off. You get the purple egg and get out of here." Right after that sentence there was a huge bang.

"The north side has been destroyed. Their inside the temple!" yelled one of the guards. Ignitus' heart dropped.

"Kasai!" yelled Ignitus as he was about to run to the north side

"No Ignitus," Terrador said as he stopped Ignitus, "I'll go check on Kasai you get the egg out of here." Terrador ran out the chambers and made his way to the north side. Out of hesitation Ignitus didn't leave the chamber. He finally snapped out of his trance, grabbed the egg, and headed out of the emergency exit in the chambers. He followed the chambers which lead outside. After knowing it was safe he took to the skies. Ignitus looked back to see the temple burn. He heard screams coming from the temple. Tears fell from his eyes as he heard young dragons and old friends dying. Ignitus soon reached a river that runs down hill away from the temple. He landed by the banks to clear his head.

"_The egg won't be safe with me,"_ he thought. He noticed a mushroom the size of a dragon egg. He placed the purple egg in the mushroom, placed the mushroom in the river, and drifted it down the river. "May the ancestors look after you, may they look after all of us." Said Ignitus as the egg drifted out. Just as he felt calm something jumped into his head. "The nursery" with that he leapt into the air and made his way back to the temple. Something important was in the nursery. Important enough to allow him to return.

The egg drifted down the river further away from the temple. By morning the egg stopped on the banks of a marsh filled forest. A peaceful place where the war hasn't spread. As the egg lay on the banks a couple of strange creatures came out from the bushes. They were only dragonflies. They noticed the egg and approached it cautiously. One was a blue male dragonfly, named Flash, with gold cufflinks, and the other was a pink female dragonfly, Nina, with a green dress.

"Flash what is it?" asked Nina

"It's an egg" replied Flash. The egg soon began to move. It frightened the dragonflies as they took cover back in the bushes. The egg fell apart to reveal what's inside. Flash moved slowly to the hatchling.

"Flash be careful" said Nina with a worried look on her face. Flash approached and the little dragon looked up at him.

"Nina, you have to come over here" Nina made her way slowly. She reached the hatchling and all her fears disappeared.

"He's so cute"

"I wonder what he is."

"I don't know but we have to get him out of this river"

"Nina he's too heavy for us and I doubt he could walk yet." At that moment the little hatchling tried to take a swing at Flash. Not in an aggressive way, but a playful way. Flash dodged it. Soon the hatchling was trying catch Flash as the hatchling took one little step at a time trying to catch Flash.

"Well I guess he can walk" said Nina

"Well we can't take care of it." Said Flash

"Him"

"What?"

"It's a boy"

"How do you know?"

"I just know"

"Ok then, we can't take care of **him**"

"We can't just leave out here by himself, he'll die"

"Nina be reasonable. A child that size will get bigger. Where will he sleep, what will he eat?"

"We'll find a way. Please?"

"Fine"

"Thank you"

"So what do you want to call him?" Nina look at the young one and thought long and hard.

"How about Spyro?"

"Fine. Spyro it is. Come on Spyro come this way" said Flash as he coaxed the young one to follow. Spyro was shaky but he managed get on his feet and follow his new foster parents. They lead into the forest where the young one grew up and lived his life. Until the rest of the world catches up with him.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Hope you guys liked it. I had fun writing it. I'll try to at least post a new chapter every week. If I don't then I'm sorry in advance. Come back next week for Chapter 2.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey Slapstick here. Well here's the next chapter like I promise. I know that a lot of you aren't too into this story, but when it gets further into it you'll like. Well enough of that lets get on with it.

Chapter 2

Many years have passed since the attack on the temple. The purple egg, which Ignitus sent down the river, has now hatched and is living happily in a distant forest. As a hatchling he not yet knew of what he was. So through out his life he believed he was like his family. He believed that he was a dragonfly. He led a perfectly normal life with his parents and his brother who was, ironically, born on the same day as Spyro. His name was Sparx. These two were inseparable.

Sparx and Spyro were playing in the woods behind the dragonfly village when they noticed it was getting late.

"Hey Sparx," called Spyro to his brother, "we should probably head home. It's getting late."

"Well I guess your," replied Sparx, "If we're late for dinner again dad will rip us a new one." They began to make their way home when Spyro had an idea.

"Hey Sparx race you"

"Oh you are so on big boy"

They got into position

"On your marks…" said Spyro

"Get set…" replied Sparx

"GO!" yelled both. They began to race each other home. It was neck and neck as Spyro and Sparx kept their pace through out the race.

With in minutes they've reached the dragonfly village. Compared to Spyro it was small. Mushrooms and small huts used for houses and shops. It was a friendly community. The other dragonflies have also accepted Spyro. They help gather fruits and nuts for him to eat. It was a pain but they did it any way. However, even though they've accepted Spyro into their home they don't much care for him. Since Spyro is 10 times bigger than them he tends to crush things under. At first it was minor nuisance but now that he's getting bigger he's become more of a handful. His destruction is more massive, and food gathering is becoming more difficult since they have to gather more and more food. Meaning there's barely enough food for them. Some dragonflies are suggest they oust Spyro from the village and let him fend for himself.

As soon as Spyro and Sparx reached the village the other dragonflies flew out the way. Spyro came running through the village like a bullet, and as expected he destroyed many of the homes and shops along the way.

Home was only a few feet away but Spyro was starting to tire. He started pulling behind. Sparx knew he had this in the bag so he turned to Spyro and flew backwards gloating.

"You see," mocked Sparx, "this is why you shouldn't eat so much. All that weight is slowing you down big boy." However, without any warning, Sparx stop dead in his tracks as he slammed into a tree branch. Spyro ran right passed him and reached home first.

"Ha I win" said Spyro in a triumphant voice, but his victory was cut short. A neighboring dragonfly tapped Spyro on the shoulder. Spyro turned to see strong looking dragonfly staring angrily at him with his arms crossed. "Oh hay Mr. Ro. Is every ok?" asked Spyro. Mr. Ro only shook his head no. "Did I do something wrong?" asked Spyro. Mr. Ro nodded his head yes. "What did I do?" Mr. Ro simple moved out the way to show Spyro the devastation he caused. He destroyed 5 homes and 10 shops in his little race. All the other dragonflies had gathered in front of Spyro to express their anger. "Sorry everyone" said Spyro. Soon Spyro's parents came from their house to see what all the noise was. They see the other dragonflies yelling at Spyro for what he did.

"What's going on?" asked Flash

"Flash, Nina," said Mr. Ro, "May we talked to you?"

"Ok" said Nina, "Spyro, honey, why don't you go get ready for dinner."

"Ok" replied Spyro as he turned to get ready for dinner.

"Wait" said Flash curious, "Where's Sparx?"

"Here dad" replied Sparx just now arriving. Nina turned to see that Sparx looks hurt with a couple of scratches.

"Oh my goodness Sparx," cried Nina, "what happened?"

"Spyro and I were racing and I ran into a tree" replied Sparx

"Well maybe next time you should pay attention to where you're going" said Spyro in a smug way.

"Well at least I still have my figure big boy" replied Sparx

"Hey"

"Alright enough you two" said Flash ending the little argument, "go wash up"

"Yes sir" replied both Spyro and Sparx as they made their way home.

All the other dragonflies waited until the two were out of ear shot to finally say what they truly wanted to say.

"That boy of yours is a menace"

"He just a walking disaster"

"He's nothing but a monster"

"Ok calm down everybody" said Mr. Ro as silenced the rude remarks made.

"Look everyone" said Flash, "We're really sorry about this. Don't worry we'll have a talk with Spyro."

"It's not just this Flash" said Mr. Ro, "It's everything. He's become more of a hassle. We all know that you two love him but you have to admit. He doesn't belong here."

"How dare you?" replied Nina in an angry, "Yes he's a handful, but he's helped us out plenty of times."

"Nina…" said Flash try to keep her from going over board, "Don't worry we'll handle it."

"You better" said Mr. Ro as he and the other dragonflies went to go clean up the mess that Spyro made.

That same night, after dinner Nina and Flash had a talk with Spyro.

"Son listen," said Flash, "You're started to get bigger now so you need to be more careful where you walk."

"I understand dad" replied Spyro

"You're a good kid Spyro," said Nina, "just promise us that you'll be more careful."

"I promise mom"

"Good" said Flash

"It's just that…"

"Just what Spyro?" asked Nina

"Have you guys ever felt out place? Like you don't belong"

"Spyro," comforted Nina, "don't let what everyone said get to you. You're our son and you belong here. With me, your father, and Sparx"

"Thanks"

"No problem, now get some sleep son. Good night"

"Good night mom, good night dad"

Spyro soon went to sleep hoping that the next day would be better.

_To Be Continued…_

Well I hope you've enjoyed chapter 2. Chapter 3 will be coming soon. We'll be getting a little more action in the next chapter. So keep check for the chapter 3. See ya soon.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey guys slapstick here with another chapter. I hope your enjoying the story so far. Well enough gabbing lets get started with the story.

Chapter 3

It was late in the morning. Everyone had apologized to Flash and Nina for the way they behaved the other day. The mess that Spyro made was still being cleaned up, but it isn't as bad as it was the other day.

To keep Spyro out of trouble, Sparx suggested that the play in the part of the forest behind their house. It's in the opposite end of the village so there can be no accidents. They decided to play a game of hide and seek. Spyro was it.

"8, 9, 10, ready or not here I come" said Spyro as he finished counting. He started looking around for Sparx. He started with the tree that he was counting on. He later moved to the bushes surrounding the area. "Nothing," said Spyro frustrated, "where did that little gnat get to?" Spyro kept looking for Sparx. What he didn't know was that Sparx was flying right above him the whole time. Spyro couldn't take it any more and called out to him. "Ok Sparx where are you?"

"Look up" replied Sparx. This startled Spyro.

"Don't do that" said Spyro

"Well maybe if you were better at seeking I wouldn't have to"

"Alright my turn to hide"

"Not so fast, the games not over until you catch me" Sparx then flew deeper into the forest as Spyro gave chase.

"You're toast when I get you"

"Well you'll just have to catch me, and we both know how difficult that is for you. Seeing as how you can't fly" Sparx continued to taunt as they went further and further into the forest. They soon reached a cave that looked to be the mouth of a frightening creature. With stalagmites and stalactites form inside to resemble teeth. They prevented bigger thing from getting in or out, but Sparx can fit through easily.

"Hey that cheating we're not allowed in"

"What's wrong Spyro not scared are?"

"n-no…it's just that…"

"It's just that you're a big fat scaredy cat"

"Shut up!"

"Alright I'm sorry…would you like to bat around a ball yarn to make you feel better?"

"Fine I'm coming in" Spyro struck the stalagmites and stalactites with his tail. Spyro flew further inside soon disappearing into the cave. Even if Sparx was glowing he was still hard to find. "Sparx where are you?" question Spyro as he went further into the cave looking.

"I'm back here" called Sparx. Spyro headed in the direction where the voice came from. He came to a big open area inside the cave. In the back was a big ledge, too big for Spyro to climb. On the roof was a hole that let in sunlight. Not a lot since the sun had started to set.

"Sparx I think we should get out of here and head home before were late for dinner again"

"Yeah I guess your right. Fine lets go" before they could even leave something, out of no where, grabbed Sparx and put him inside a small lantern.

"Sparx!" called a worried Spyro. The weird creature climbed to the ledge and handed the lantern to another creature like him, but bigger. It only chuckled as it grabbed the lantern. Soon other creatures like it were standing right next to him. There weren't that many maybe about 10 more.

"Let me out of hear you ugly…what ever you are?" said Sparx

"Watch your tongue," said the creature, "we are apes the greatest race in the world. Soon, with the command of Cynder, we will conquer the world"

"Now that's what I call exposition" mocked Sparx

"Let him go" called Spyro getting the attention of the ape.

"Huh…and here I though you all got wiped" said the ape leader

"What?" said Spyro confused

"Well your kind is known to be stubborn even when it comes to just dying"

"What do my kind?"

"It doesn't matter. You won't be alive long enough for any of this to matter. KILL HIM!" yelled the ape leader as all his minions jumped down to attack.

"Spyro watch yourself" called Sparx from the lantern

Without thinking one ape attacked Spyro head on. All Spyro did was tilt his head down and charge into the ape. They made contact. The ape flew far back into the ledge. Knowing that this was going to be more trouble then they hoped. So they pulled out swords to end it quickly. While Spyro focused on the few in front of him one snuck around and was preparing to end the battle quick.

"Spyro behind you!" warned Sparx

Spyro turned to see an ape lunge his sword at him. He dodged causing the sword to impale the ground. The ape soldier tried to pull it out but was knocked unconscious when Spyro swung his tail hitting the soldier in the face. Two other apes attacked at the same time; one from the left, the other from the right. They swung their swords at the same time. Spyro jumped back as the swords collided with each other making a high pitch clang sound. Another ape jumped out from behind the two Spyro just dodged. Spyro saw him coming but didn't know the ape sneaking up from behind. Sparx was about to say something but the ape leader simply shook the lantern to keep him quiet. The ape in the air got ready to finish Spyro off while the ape behind was intended to do the same. Spyro then dodged the ape in the air also dodging the ape behind him. The air soldier soon hit earth as he swung his sword. There was a momentary pause as every looked to witness what just happened. Spyro stood and looked in horror as he sees blood dripping from the sword. The ape behind him had taken the strike instead of Spyro. There was a huge cut going down his body. Soon the soldier fell in the pool of his own blood where he died. Spyro, still dumbfounded, couldn't believe that he was responsible for the death of another living being. Sparx had the same initial reaction, complete and utter silence.

"Enough of this" said the ape leader. He soon pulled a stick of dynamite, lit it, and through it at Spyro. Sparx finally came out of his daze to see what's going on.

"Spyro!" called Sparx to warn him again.

Spyro snapped out of it to see the dynamite land right next to him. Spyro grabbed the dynamite and through it back at the leader. It soon exploded mid way between Spyro and the leader. It was strong enough to knock the leader off the ledge and to send Spyro for a loop. Spyro got up and looked around. He saw a horrible sight. A few apes weren't luck and he saw the burnt bodies. He tried to get up but the explosion really did do a number on him.

The leader had dropped Sparx and luck for him the lantern didn't break.

"Ow," said Sparx in pain, "hey ape guy why not play fair not find cheap tricks to win?"

"That's it" said the leader as he pulled his sword, "I've had enough of that tongue of yours" He lifted the sword over his head ready to strike.

"Sparx!" called Spyro out of fear of losing his brother, "NOOOOO!"

At that time Spyro's mouth seemed to have exploded as fire came shoot out in huge burst. The leader was quickly consumed by the flames as he fell over. He held his right arm in pain as it had suffered from 3rd degree burns. His fur was completely singed and the skin underneath was scorched. Even though he was in pain he knew he had to get out of there. Two of his soldiers were still alive as he got up and gave them a command.

"Finish him off. I have to report this to Cynder" with that the leader made his way out of the forest.

"There's that name again" said Spyro as he thought out loud. He soon took noticed to the apes in front of him. "Well this worked once" soon he opened his mouth and shot another burst of fire at the two remaining. They ran around screeching until finally they fell to ground. Spyro, still in pain from the explosion, walked over to the lantern where Sparx was.

"Dude let me out of hear. You don't realize how hot it is from all the fire and explosion" said Sparx. Spyro then broke the lantern freeing Sparx.

"Are you ok?" asked Spyro worried

"Am I ok? Dude, since when can you breathing fire?"

"I don't know but we're not safe hear lets head home"

"You can say that again" said Sparx sarcastically

With that they headed back home.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Now we got something happening. I hope you all enjoyed it. Chapter 4 will be coming out really, really soon. So check back either in a few hours or tomorrow. See you soon.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Like I promised. Here is the next chapter early. I'm really starting to get more into this now. So it's a possibility that you might get more chapters than before, **possibility**. I really hope that you enjoy. So let's get started.

Chapter 4

The sun was almost set when they got back home. That's when they told their parents everything, while Nina attended to Spyro's wounds of course.

Sparx began to explain in his own way.

"You guys should have seen it. First, the ape guy was like GET HIM, and Spyro was like WAM. Then he was all like POW. Next thing you know BOOM and then FWOOSH. It was awesome"

"I bet it was son" said Flash with a small chuckle

"And the best part of all that was when Spyro breathed fire" said Sparx

"Fire?" said Flash surprised

"Yeah he was breathing FIRE!"

Flash and Nina then looked at each other in a disappointing look

"That's just perfect they don't believe us. Tell him Spyro"

"It's true dad," said Spyro, "I don't know how I did it, but all I know is one minute I'm getting upset then the next…fire"

"It's not that we don't believe you it's just that…well" Flash sighed for a moment, "it's just that your mother and I knew this day would come"

"What day?"

That night Spyro learned the truth. How he wasn't their birth child, but an unknown creature from a distant land. He learned that his parents found him as an egg on the river bed.

"So… I'm not your real son" said Spyro with sadness in his voice

"You are our real son" said Nina, "It's just that you come from somewhere else; a place where wars rage on for years with no sign of ending."

"Then if my real home is somewhere out there, then I have to find it"

"We understand Spyro" said Flash

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Sparx, "You want to leave to find a place that may be more dangerous then what we've just went through?"

"I have to know Sparx," replied Spyro, "I have to know where I come from. If I don't do this now I'll spend the rest of my life wondering. Besides, there could be others just like me."

"Fine go on your little adventure and…you know what I don't care I'm out."

"Don't worry about him Spyro you know how he gets" said Flash with a little chuck

"Spyro, why don't you get some rest before you go?" said Nina, "you can leave tomorrow.

"Ok" replied Spyro

Nina and Flash headed for bed as they turned to see Spyro lying in the same place he has since he was little.

"Goodnight Spyro" they both said

"Night guys"

Nina went off to bed while Flash went to talk to Sparx.

The next day Spyro was ready to leave. Everyone came to wish him good luck, but in actuality they just wanted to make sure he was really leave.

"Bye everyone," called Spyro, "I'll be back soon" with that Spyro began to set out on his own when he was stopped.

"Spyro wait up" it was Sparx fast approaching. "You know…the old man and I were talking and…we agreed that you need someone to watch you and to make sure you don't gain any more weight"

"What ever, but I'm glad you coming" said Spyro with a smile. They then began their adventure unaware of the dangers that lurked ahead.

They have been traveling for what seemed to be hours. The sun was starting to rise when they left, now it's almost about to set.

"Well here we are on an epic adventure of a life time," said Sparx in a narrative voice, "as we brave dangerous terrain, fight vicious monsters, and place our marks in the history book. As we…"

"Sparx what are you doing?" asked a very confused Spyro

"I'm doing a monologue"

"Ok…why?"

"Because…I…just…shut up"

As they continued they noticed a giant shadow fly right over them. They look up and see nothing.

"What was that?" asked Sparx

"I don't know but let's keep moving" said Spyro.

They continued down the path they were going when something caught their attention.

RRRROOOOOAAAARRRR

A loud roar that sounds like evil incarnate. They took off running out of pure fear.

"AHHHHHH" they both yelled while they ran. They came to a thicker area of the forest with a small clearing. They stopped there to rest.

"What was that?" asked Sparx with fear in his voice

"I don't know but I think it's…" before Spyro could finish something had jumped out from the bushes and attacked Spyro on the side of his body. He fell and slid hard.

"Spyro are you alright?" asked Sparx

"Yeah I'm fine," replied Spyro, "what hit me?"

They turned to see what had attacked them. They were both shocked at what they are seeing. They were completely void of words. Except for one.

"Whoa" said both with their eyes wide open.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed chapter 4. Originally this was supposed to be part of chapter 3 but I felt it was to long for a chapter so I split it. Leave a comment if you liked it, disliked it, have any advice, etc. Just one rule: no flaming. Well come back soon to see chapter 5.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey slaps here again. Well a new day a new chapter. We are now in the main point were the story will take off. Where Spyro's journey really takes a sharp left turn. Now I warn you. This one pretty much explains things. So sit back, relax, and enjoy

Chapter 5

Spyro was attacked on the left side of his body. It was an unexpected attack that caused Spyro to slide on the ground.

"Spyro!" Sparx yelled, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah" replied Spyro as he struggles to get up, "What hit me?"

They looked up to a very shocking sight. What stood a few feet in front of them, the creature that attacked them, was something they weren't expecting. A creature that looked a lot like Spyro. Another one of him. This one was different though. It stood a few inches taller than him. It also looked to be a year older than Spyro. Its body had black and white markings. The bones of the wings were black where the membrane was white. The tail blade looked like an arrowhead where the back ends curved inward. It had dark green eyes. Finally, around its neck was something that caught Spyro's eye. Around its neck was a necklace. The strap was simply made of black string, but what was at the end was the most interesting. There was a forest green, quartz shaped gem about 5 in long and 5 mm wide. Also there was a small gold dragon wrapped around the gem.

The creature looked at Spyro and Sparx in a menacing look.

"Whoa" said Sparx, "It looks a lot like you"

"Yeah" replied Spyro

"Why are you hear?" asked the creature

"Whoa," said Sparx, "it can talk"

"Sparx," whispered Spyro, "I wouldn't make it angry"

Spyro was right of course. The whole time the creature was in attack position. One wrong move could end with a fight.

"We mean you no harm," called Spyro, "we're merely passing through"

"Well then I suggest you turn around and find another way through. This is our part of the forest." Spoke the creature

"Spyro let's just go" said Sparx in a fearful tone

"Wait Sparx. You said 'our', so does that mean there are others" Spyro took a step closer in hopes to meet others like him.

The creature didn't like Spyro's sudden advancement. At an instance it began to growl at them, and at the same time bearing its fangs. Out of fear Spyro took a step back.

"Spyro lets get out of hear" said Sparx trying to change his mind again.

"We can't leave Sparx" protested Spyro, "we've already came this far"

"Your friend is smart," said the creature, "if I were you I'd listen to him"

"We're not leaving" argued Spyro

"Fine"

Soon the creature was preparing to attack. Spyro did the same. However, before they could fight something interrupted them.

"Shun" another voice came from out of the bushes. Spyro turned and was stunned by what he saw. It was another creature that looked like him. Except this one was like 10x his side. Except this one was red and older. Spyro and Sparx stared at the huge creature.

"And I thought you were big" said Sparx

"What's going on here?" asked the bigger creature

"Master Ignitus," said the smaller one, named Shun, "I just caught these two trespassing on our part of the forest"

The big one, named Ignitus, turned to see who Shun was talking about. When he saw Spyro, he let out a big gasp. He was absolutely surprised.

"I can't believe it" said Ignitus as he walks over to get a better look. "You're alive. After all this time I thought you had died long ago"

"Wait you know Spyro?" asked Sparx

"So Spyro is it. Well it's nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you too," replied Spyro, "oh man there are so many questions I have. How do you know me? Where do I come from? Who are you guys? What are you guys? What am I?"

"Curious little one aren't you?" teased Ignitus. As he looked down he noticed Shun had moved to his side, never taking his gaze of Spyro.

"Sorry, I just need to know"

"Well let's start with introductions. My name is Ignitus and this young one is named Shun"

Shun said nothing

"I'm Sparx, Spyro's better half"

"Yeah at running away" chuckled Spyro

"Alright listen…" Sparx was soon interrupted by Ignitus

"Don't mean to interrupt but it's getting dark. This forest isn't safe at night. Come, you'll stay with us tonight. There I will explain everything to you"

Ignitus turned and started walking. Shun was close behind with Spyro and Sparx following.

"Master Ignitus," whispered Shun, "who is this kid. There's something weird about him"

"Weird? How?" replied Ignitus also in a whispering tone.

"I don't know. It's as if I know him from somewhere"

"Don't worry Shun everything will be explained to you soon"

They soon reached a cave that is hidden by vines and moss. Ignitus pulled back the vines and moss to let the young ones in first. He looked around to see if anyone followed them and headed inside. In the middle of the cave were some wood in a pile. Ignitus opened his mouth and, to Spyro's surprise, fire came shooting out like his. Everyone moved in and sat next to the fire.

"Ignitus," called Spyro, "what am I?"

"You don't know?"

"That's why he asked" said Sparx condescending voice.

Ignitus just stared at him in anger.

"You're a dragon young one and a very special one at that" said Ignitus

"What do you mean?" asked Spyro

"The prophecies for told a purple dragon, that is born once every 10 generations, will save the world. That dragon is you"

"Wait, wait, wait" interrupted Sparx, "so your saying that Spyro, this Spyro right here, is suppose to save the world. Yeah right what ever old dude"

"Bite your tongue!" yelled Shun as he stood in anger, "Don't you ever talk to Master Ignitus like that do you understand me?"

"SHUN!" called Ignitus trying to stop Shun from going over board, "calm yourself young one"

Shun was now calm and lay back down by his master's side.

"I am indeed telling you the truth," continued Ignitus, "it was our job, as guardians, to protect you and the other eggs so you all can hatch."

"Other eggs…you mean I'm not the only one?" asked Spyro

"No you weren't. Me and the other three guardians were suppose to protect you all…however, someone else got wind of the prophecies; someone who goes by the name The Dark Master; a being of pure evil. He sent his armies to the temple, where you were laid, to kill us all and destroy the eggs…and they almost succeeded"

"So what happened then" said Sparx trying his hardest not to anger Shun again

"After I got you out of there Spyro, the other guardians and I gathered an army and waged war all over the islands," continued Ignitus, "We fought The Dark Master's armies for year. Also during that time Shun lost his parents in this war. I took Shun with us and kept him safe when we were in battle. At one point it seemed that we've turned the tides of this war. That's when Cynder arrived."

Shun then growled angrily under his breathe at the sound of the name

"Cynder…I've heard that name before from one of those ape things that attacked us" proclaimed Spyro

"I see she still searches for us" said Ignitus

"Wait a minute, Cynder's a chick?" said Sparx

Everyone only gave him a blank stare

"What?"

"Just ignore him" said Spyro

"Right…anyway, I watched helplessly as she captured my fellow guardians and took them to unknown places. As for everyone else…they were soon slaughtered. Only Shun and I were able to escape. We've been in hiding ever since. Pretty soon the remaining people that stayed in the temple were soon killed."

"That's terrible. I'm so sorry" said Spyro, "but I was wondering if you could show me this temple?"

Ignitus was shocked at this request

"No, no," he said, "we have no idea what's inside the temple now. It's too late"

"Maybe not," said Spyro, "We don't know unless we try"

"Wait you want to go to the thing's that tried to kill us?" asked Sparx, "you may like to see your blood on the ground, but I like to keep mine inside of me."

"Sparx we've come all this way. We need to keep moving if we want to get any where" said Spyro

"He's making since Master," said Shun, "I'm willing to try"

Ignitus saw that he was out voted. Except for Sparx but he didn't count his vote.

"Very well," said Ignitus, "we will go"

"Hold on a second" said Sparx, "you're an adult aren't you suppose to try to keep us kids away from danger."

"Yes you are right, but Spyro is also right. We need to push forward if we want to get anywhere. It's too dangerous to go tonight. So get some sleep, we leave first thing tomorrow."

Spyro and Shun laid their heads down and got ready to sleep. Ignitus threw a big pile of dirt onto the fire to put it out. The rays of the celestial moons peering through the vines and moss. The last thing heard was Sparx mumbling to himself before falling asleep on Spyro's head.

"Crazy people, I'm traveling with crazy people"

The next day will be something of importance to them. As tomorrow will be the time when their journey will really begin.

_To Be Continued..._

A/N: Phew…that took a while. Now that most of the explanations are done we can get on with the main story. I hope you all semi-enjoyed this exposition chapter. Next one will have more in it promise. Comment and tell me what you think. See you later.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey guys slaps is back. It's time for a brand new chapter. Now that the oc character has been introduced we can finally get this story going. I got to warn you. This is a long chapter. I didn't intend to make it this long, but I couldn't find a good resting spot. So now it's just one long chapter. I hope that doesn't bother you. Ok let's get started with this new chapter. With a special twist at the end.

Chapter 6

It was morning and the sun was just rising. Ignitus woke up to the rays of the sun as it peeked in through the vines. He looked around and saw that the two young dragons were all ready waking up. Except for Sparx who was sleeping on Spyro's head. Shun was already on his feet stretching. Spyro, however, had a look of dread and guilt.

"What's wrong Spyro?" asked Ignitus

"It's nothing," replied Spyro

"You can talk to me"

"Well," said Spyro with a hint of sadness in his voice, "a few days ago Sparx and I were attack by some apes. I fought them of however…" his voice soon trailed off as he was ashamed to say the next thing. "…they were killed during the fight."

"And…" asked Ignitus.

"And?" said Spyro shocked by the answer, "the point is that I took a life, and I feel terrible!"

"Who, what, when, where" said Sparx as he was woken from all the commotion, "What's going on?"

"Young one there's one thing you need to know," said Ignitus, "We are at war. From here on out you will have to make rash decisions like the one you made a few days ago."

"What are you saying?" asked Spyro confused

"He's saying that you're going to get your fair share of killing" said Shun over hearing the conversation

"SHUN!" yelled Ignitus as he gave Shun a hard stare. Shun simply turned his head. "As much as I hate to admit it he's right. You will have to do the same thing you did before."

"I don't know if I can do that" said Spyro

"Seriously what's going on?" asked Sparx still confused

"You'll have to Spyro," said Ignitus, "the enemy will not show you mercy towards you. So you must do the same"

"Ok…I'll try"

"Good…now let's get going. We need to head the temple. We should reach it by mid day"

"Is no one going to fill me in on what happened" said Sparx still confused

They all headed out the cave prepared for the dangers ahead.

As they approached the temple they noticed that there weren't any apes outside. So they figured that they were all inside.

"We're taking the back entrance so not to bring up suspicion" said Ignitus

They reached the back door. It was a secret door that only a guardian can open. Ignitus placed his paw on the center of the door where a white gem stood. It flashed red but the door would not budge.

"Now I'm no door expert but aren't doors suppose to like open" said Sparx

"I don't understand. It should open" said Ignitus curiously

"Yeah I believe I just said that" said Sparx

"It must be locked" said Ignitus, "there must be another way in."

They all started to look around to see an opening. Shun soon spotted a cave up on a small cliff. About the height of Ignitus.

"Up there" he said

He soon climbed up the cliff and reached the top. He looked inside.

"It's dark but I believe it heads inside the temple" he said, "I go in and get rid of whatever's blocking the door"

"Wait Shun," called Ignitus. He then turned to Spyro, "go with him"

"Ok but how do I get up there?" asked Spyro

"Just climb on my back" answered Ignitus

"Master no," protested Shun, "I don't need his help. I can do this on my own"

"Shun we don't know what kind of dangers are in the temple. You'll need all the help you can get," Ignitus then turned to Spyro, "go on young one"

Spyro climbed up Ignutus' back. Midway he noticed a huge stab mark in between his wings. Spyro assumed it was from battle and continued on. He reached the top where Shun was. Sparx was now on his way.

"Fine," said Shun, "but I lead" Spyro nodded

"Be careful young ones" said Ignitus

"Don't worry," said Sparx, "I'll make sure that they don't get hurt"

Everyone just simply rolled their eyes

"On the other side of the door there's a manual lever that will unlock the door" said Ignitus

"Yes master" said Shun. They then made there way through the cave with Shun at point.

Thanks to Sparx they were able to see much better. However, the sight isn't good. Inside was a sight of death. There were skeletons of apes and smaller creatures.

"Man it's really scary in hear" said Sparx

"What's wrong Sparx? Your not afraid are you?" mocked Spyro

"No it's just creepy. That's all I'm saying. There's nothing that can scare me" suddenly a skeleton of a smaller creature fell right in front of Sparx. "AHHHHH" He screamed as he grabbed onto Spyro's horn.

"Yeah **nothing** can scare you" said Spyro sarcastically

"Would you two be quiet" said Shun

He looked ahead and saw the end of the cave. Shun poked his head out saw that they were inside the temple, but it wasn't what he expected. The tapestries that are inside were completely torn. The pillars were cracked and there doors were broken in. Shun looked down to see that they were a few feet high.

"Ok we're here come on" said Shun as he jumped down, "and be careful there's a bit of a drop"

BAM

Not knowing about the drop, Spyro fell right on top of Shun.

"That had to hurt" said Sparx

"Would…you…get off me!" barked Shun

"Sorry" said Spyro as he got off of Shun

Shun got up and made his way down a corridor

"Let's go I think the door is this way" said Shun

They soon reached a room. Shun poked his head in and saw that the temple was not empty.

"Looks like we're not alone" he said

Spyro then poked his head in. In the room were about 20-30 apes. They were guarding the door for any intruders. Spyro then noticed the lever on the other side of the room right next to the door.

"Shun," he said "there's the lever"

"Well it looks like we have no choice" said Shun, "when I give you the signal, head to the lever and pull it"

Shun ran into room and prepared himself for battle.

"Well what do we have here?" said one of the apes, "A young dragon with a death wish?"

"Quite the opposite"

Soon a dark aura surrounded Shun. The apes took a step back out of fear. Spyro could feel the energy; the feeling of sadness, anger, pain, and revenge. It was a terrible feeling. Shun then opened his mouth and shot a dark blast at the apes. It was incredible; he managed to take out a good amount of apes. Spyro was both amazed and scared by the attack.

"Go now!" yelled Shun giving Spyro the signal

Snapping out of it, Spyro sneaks past the remaining apes to the lever on the other side of the room. Before he pulls it he turns to watch the battle.

One ape pulls his sword and attacks head on. Shun jumps to the left to dodge. Another charged at his side and swung his sword. Shun jumped up dodging it. He landed on the apes back. Before the ape could do anything Shun plunged his tail blade through its neck and out the other. Blood flowed out of him like a running stream. Shun pulled his tail blade out of the ape and jumped off his back. The ape simply collapsed in a pool of his own blood. Spyro couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was both upset and amazed at the same time. Shun charged at an ape close to the wall. Out of fear the ape didn't move. Shun tilted his head and slammed the ape into the wall. The hit was great and the damage was greater. Spyro could hear the sounds of the bones breaking under the pressure Shun gave it. The sound of walls cracking and the screams of the ape were hard to hear. The ape was dead at an instance. Shun quickly turned ready for his next opponent. When he did he saw another ape run at him and lunge his sword at Shun's head. Shun tilted his head left and the sword missed and went into the wall. Shun took this chance. He took his claws and dug them deep into the ape.

"Another one bites it" said Shun with a smile on his face

The rest of the apes were standing in the doorway to the next room. Shun didn't feel like taking them one by one, so he decided to finish them off now. He prepped himself. Soon aura surrounded him again, but this one was different. It was a white, calming aura. Shun opened his mouth and shot a white blast at the remaining apes. In one shot he managed to take them out. Shun looked over to Spyro.

"What are you waiting for? Pull the lever" he said

Spyro nodded and pulled the lever.

"Ok master you can open it" called Shun

The gem started to light up red, and the door slowly began to open. Sparx was frightened by their new friend and his abilities.

"Spyro," he whispered, "are you sure about this? This guy could turn on us any time"

"It's ok Sparx," comforted Spyro, "I'm sure he won't hurt us. He's on our side remember"

"How can you be sure?" asked Sparx

"I don't know, but there's something about him. I can't explain it, but it's like I know him"

The door was soon fully opened and on the other side stood Ignitus. He strolled in and saw the bodies of the apes.

"Looks like you two were busy" he said

Ignitus took point and headed into the next room. Without warning he was surrounded a hoard of apes. Spyro ran to Ignitus hoping to help, but Shun stopped Spyro by jumping in front of him at the doorway.

"What are you doing? We have to help" protested Spyro

"Master Ignitus can handle this on his own" replied Shun

Surrounded, Ignitus wasn't worried. He simply closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he did fire began to circle him. He then opened his eyes; spread his wings, and the fire spread all around him. Killing off the rest of the apes.

Spyro and Sparx looked in awe at the raw power that Ignitus wielded. However, it wasn't easy for Ignitus. He soon fell to the ground. Shun, Spyro, and Sparx ran up to him.

"Are you ok Ignitus?" ask Spyro worried

"Yeah I'm fine" replied Ignitus, "I'm just not as young as I use to be" Ignitus slowly began to stand back up. "Come on we need to clear the rest of the temple."

They began walking down the corridors of the temple. There were a few stragglers but they were quickly taken care of. Soon the temple was clear of all enemies. It had become a safe place for dragons once again.

They roamed the halls until they came into a room with a small pool in the middle. Ignitus walked and sat near the pool. Shun and Spyro did the same. They sat right next to each other. Sparx, obviously, was the first person to ask.

"So what's with the pool old dude?' he asked

"If you must know this pool allows certain dragons to see visions," explained Ignitus, "with this pool I'll be able to see the future, the location of a person, and even someone's thoughts."

"Really?" questioned Sparx, "So if you can really see the thoughts of others. What am I thinking right now?"

"It's not that simple. It takes time and effort to see the vision. It difficult to explain" said Ignitus

"Which reminds me," interrupted Shun, "Master, you promised you would explain something to me. Something that was important"

"Yes I did" said Ignitus, "I always new this day would come"

"What day?" asked Shun

"The day that I would tell you the truth. You see Shun the people you were with were your foster parent."

Shun had a look of shock on his face. To hear that he was adopted really stunned him. Spyro knows this feeling all to well. He felt the same way when he found out that he was adopted too.

"So what happened to my real parents?" asked Shun

"Your real parents…" Ignitus paused, "…your real parents died"

Shun's heart sank know that his parents have died.

"Your father died in battle. You were really young then"

"What about my mother?"

"Your mother truly did love you Shun. You were the light of her day, and that necklace is proof. That necklace is actually a family airlume. It's been passed down from generations to generations. Always given to the first born child."

Shun caught something in what Ignitus said.

"First born?" he asked

"Yes," continued Ignitus, "you see your mother died giving birth to you sibling"

Shun was held back by this news, but was now happy to know that he has a sibling

"I have a sibling? Where are they? Are they ok?" asked Shun

"Calm down. Their fine" said Ignitus, "in fact their closer than you think"

"Really? Where?"

Ignitus walked over to Shun. Spyro was curious as to what Ignitus was doing. Ignitus grabbed Shun, turned him around, and pushed him closer to Spyro. He was starting to get the idea

"Shun," said Ignitus, "say hello to you little brother"

Both Spyro and Shun were completely shocked by the news. To think that this whole time that their own brother was with them the entire time.

"Wow, now that's a shock" said Sparx breaking the momentary silence

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Man this was a long one, but worth it. Now that's what I call shocking. I hope you guys like this chapter. The next one will be coming to you soon. See ya till' then.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey slapstick here. Well Spyro has a long lost brother. To him one was enough. So this is a big change for everyone, especially Shun. Well let's get started.

Chapter 7

Everyone was quiet as Ignitus just delivered a huge bomb shell. To think Spyro and Shun are long lost brothers. They just looked at each other with disbelief. They soon slowly started to see the similarities. Their faces did look kind of alike, and their horns were pretty close to being similar. However, it wasn't the physical features that they noticed. What stood out more than any thing were their eyes. Their eyes may be different colors, with Shun's being green and Spyro's being purple, but what they saw in them was all to familiar. What they saw was family. That's what was so familiar to them.

Soon a little smile appeared on Shun's face. Since he lost his parents he thought that he had no family left, but standing in front of him was his little brother. Though as quick as the smile appeared it quickly disappeared. He soon realized something he wishes he hadn't. Ignitus, a dragon that Shun has known and respected his whole life, had kept a secret that big from him.

The Silence was too much so Sparx broke it.

"So wait if these two are brothers by birth, then does that make Shun is like my half foster brother or something?"

"No Sparx," replied Ignitus, "since Shun was adopted by your parents he is in no way related to you"

"Right…" said Sparx, "so if their brothers how com they weren't together?"

Ignitus looked over at Shun and saw that he was upset over all of this.

"During the attack on the temple my job was to get you, Spyro, out safely" said Ignitus, "I sent you floating down the river on a mushroom like boat. After you were safe I headed back to the temple. The other guardians were able to escape, but most of the eggs had been destroyed. Shun, you were sleeping in the nursery when it happened. They dragged you out and was about to kill you. I got you out safely. I then took you to small dragon village unknown to the enemy."

Shun was now furious

"Why didn't you tell me about this after my parents died?" asked Shun in an angry way

"I'm sorry Shun," said Ignitus, "I wanted to tell so much, but you've grown so accustom to your current life. I didn't want to change it."

"You changed my life when you decided to separate us"

Outraged, Shun ran out of the room.

"Shun wait!" called Spyro as he was getting ready to run after his older brother.

"Let him go Spyro" said Ignitus, "its better if he's alone to cool down and clear his head. He'll be fine, but in the mean time I think I should give you the grand tour. Come with me"

Ignitus went the other direction Shun went. Spyro was hesitant at first but he soon followed Ignitus with Sparx right behind him.

A few hours have since the start of the tour. The sun was beginning to set as Spyro, Ignitus, and Sparx had completed their tour and was out on the balcony. They looked at and saw the destruction the apes have made. As they saw that some of the land that surrounded the temple was completely burnt. Trees cut down and bodies littered the ground.

"What happened here?" asked Sparx, "I've scene happier scenes at a funeral"

"This is what Cynder and her armies have done to our home" said Ignitus, "her conquest has laid waste to our lands and everyone one else's."

"Can you be any less joyful?" asked Sparx

"It's kind of hard to find joy in your home being destroyed" said Ignitus in an angry tone

"Sparx enough" said Spyro trying to Sparx quiet

"Any way" continued Ignitus, "with your help, Spyro, we will be able to stop Cynder and her armies from wreaking any more havoc"

"I don't know Ignitus," doubted Spyro, "I may be a special dragon but I don't have the experience that you and Shun have. I don't know if I can do it"

"You can Spyro. You managed to give me hope again. Your confidence shows me that if you believe in yourself everything will work out."

"Ok"

"Also it's not like your going to do this alone. You still got me and Shun"

"What about me?" asked Sparx a little jealous

"Yes you too Sparx" said Ignitus

The sun was now completely set, and the celestial moons where rising

"Come," said Ignitus, "Let's get some rest. We need to get up early tomorrow"

"Ah why?" asked Sparx upset, "I was hoping to get a nice long sleep"

"Because tomorrow Spyro begins his training with fire"

"Man I don't want to get up early"

"Sparx no one's making you get up early" said Spyro

"Good cause I wasn't planning on it" said Sparx

They soon left the balcony and made their way to the sleeping chambers. Ignitus lay in an area by the door. Spyro lie next to Ignitus and Sparx found a large vine hanging on the wall. He grabs some moss as a blanket and quickly goes to sleep.

"He's a fast sleeper isn't he?" asked Ignitus

"Yeah," replied Spyro, however, he wasn't really paying attention. He was looking at the door hoping that someone would come. Ignitus looked over at Spyro curiously.

"Something wrong?" asked Ignitus

"Shun has been gone along time. I'm going to go look for him"

"Don't worry Spyro"

"But"

"He's probably just exploring the temple. Like I said this is all a big shock to him. He just needs some time to take it all in. I assure you he'll be back"

"Ok"

"Get some sleep Spyro" said Ignitus, "tomorrow will be a big day for you." He then placed his head down and slowly drifted to sleep.

Spyro soon followed his advice and drifted off to sleep as well, but it didn't last long.

With in an hour Spyro heard something that caused him to wake up. He looked around the moon lit room to see that the sound he heard was the door, on the opposite side of the room, opening and closing. He then saw Shun walking to the area in front of him and laid down. With in minutes he was asleep. Spyro later followed.

It was now early in the morning as the sun's rays peeked into the room. Spyro opened his eyes. He got up and stretched. As he looked around he saw that Sparx and Ignitus were still sleeping. When he looked over to where Shun was he noticed that he wasn't there. Spyro left to go in search of his brother.

Spyro's search soon led him to a room that leads outside to the balcony. This was nothing to special; just place that has an enormous statue of a dragon in it. However, standing at the base of the statue was Shun.

"Hey" called Spyro

Shun looked over a little surprised but happy

"Hey" he replied back with a smile

"What are you doing here by yourself?" asked Spyro as he sat next to Shun

"Nothing really…hey sorry about how I acted earlier. I shouldn't have been so rude to you"

"It's ok I understand"

"Thanks"

"So you're my big brother huh?"

"Yeah…that came a bit of a shock"

"I know what you mean. I felt the same way when I found out"

"What was your life like?"

Shun wanted to know everything about Spyro and vise versa. They spent about an hour or two getting to know each other. Spyro told Shun what it was like living in a swamp and having Sparx for a brother. Shun told Spyro what his life was like in a dragon village. Even though Spyro felt closer to Shun he knew that he still didn't know everything about him. He knew that Shun was still holding something back, but before he could ask they were interrupted. Ignitus had entered the room. He looked down at the two young dragons.

"Oh…you're already here" said Ignitus

"Already where?" asked Spyro

"Why the training room of course" answered Ignitus

"Not to be rude but…yawn…how is this a training room? There's kind of a giant statue in the way" said Sparx coming from behind Ignitus. He was still very tired.

"The statue goes down with the pull of a lever wall. I just have to pull it" with that Ignitus went to the other side of the room to press the button

"I thought you were sleeping in Sparx?" asked Spyro

"I thought I was too," replied Sparx, "but Mr. Early Bird here woke me and said we need to find you two"

Ignitus pulled the lever and the statue began to descend into the ground. With the statue gone the room was now large enough for training.

"Let us begin" said Ignitus

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Well that took a while. I know it's not the best. Thank you for being patient with me. I promise the next chapter won't take as long. Next chapter will begin Spyro's training. Hope you enjoyed it. If you did let me know, and if you don't let me know anyway. See you soon.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Well, like I promised, chapter 8 is up. Sorry it took so long, but as you can see this was a really long chapter. We left off with Ignitus preparing to train Spyro. Enjoy.

Chapter 8

"Let us begin" said Ignitus, "This room is special. All you have to do is think of an enemy and it will appear. Let's start with something simple"

Ignitus closed his eyes and thought of a wooden dummy to appear in the middle of the room

"Shun come of over here. Spyro needs the room" called Ignitus

Shun was reluctant to go since he was still upset with Ignitus, but he was raised to always respect his elders. So he hurried to his master's side.

"Alright Spyro I want you start slow. Try burning the dummy"

Spyro nodded and shot a burst of fire and hit the dummy. With in seconds the dummy disappeared.

"Very good, you have the concept of fire down. How about we see how well you can aim"

Ignitus closed his eyes and thought up another dummy. This one was now on the far end of the room.

"I want you to hit the dummy again, but this time try to hit it from where you're standing"

Spyro was a little nervous. He's never used the fire blast on something from a far. The dummy was about 15-20 feet away. Spyro concentrated, aimed, and fired. The blast missed the dummy completely; burning the wall behind it.

"Concentrate Spyro" called Ignitus, "you control the fire. Use it to your advantage"

Spyro gave it another try and missed again. He kept trying for 20 minutes. Every time he keeps getting closer, but he still isn't hitting the target. He soon became frustrated and it started to show. As his frustration grew, his aim was thrown completely off. He was now missing worse than ever.

"Spyro, do you know you're suppose to hit the dummy?" heckled Sparx

Spyro didn't say anything. He just looked over with a murderous gleam in his eyes. This frightened Sparx as he hid behind Ignitus for cover.

"_His anger is getting the best of him,"_ thought Ignitus, _"At this rate he won't be able to master fire. There must be a way"_

"Spyro," called Shun

Spyro looked over

"You have to calm down. When it comes to stuff like this you have to keep a leveled head. Take a deep breathe and give it another go. You can do it" said Shun

Those words of encouragement was exactly what Spyro needed to hear. He did exactly what Shun said. He took a deep breathe, concentrated, and gave it one more try. He shot the fire blast and it was on target. The dummy burst into flames.

"I did it!" yelled Spyro felling proud of himself

"Way to go" cheered Shun

"I never doubted you for a second" said Sparx. Spyro just simply rolled his eyes

"Very nice Spyro" said Ignitus, "but let's make sure that it wasn't a fluke"

Ignitus then thought of three new dummies in the same spot. Spyro took aim and fired three blasts. With each one landing their marks. Spyro turned and gave a smile.

"Very good young one," said Ignitus, "how about we switch from dummies to something else"

He then thought of an ape to appear in the room. However, this was made to only dodge never to attack.

"Try hitting a moving target"

Spyro turned to the ape and fired a fire ball at it. As expected it quickly jumped out of the way. Spyro looked over to where it jumped to and fired another one at it. Like before it was on target, but the ape jumped out of the way. He kept this up for a good 30 minutes. He was starting to get frustrated again.

"_This is harder than I thought_" thought Spyro

He then remember what Shun said. He need to calm down before things get worse. He continued to attack the ape but just kept missing.

"Spyro," called Ignitus, "you're thinking to direct with this one. Remember in battle every thing can change. So you will always need to think differently than you normally do"

"What do you mean?" asked Spyro confused

"It's something you'll have to figure out on your own" said Ignitus. Shun was about to help Spyro but Ignitus stopped him. Shun looked up and Ignitus simply shook his head as to say no.

"_So I have to think differently than I normally would"_ thought Spyro. Soon an idea popped into his head. Immediately Spyro shot a fire blast at the ape. It, as expected, dodged by jumping back. The blast hit the ground sending debris and smoke into the air. The ape stood behind the smoke waiting for it to go away. Before it could go a way something broke threw the smoke. It was another fire blast. The ape didn't have enough time to dodge and took the attack at full force. The ape caught on fire and disappeared. Spyro was shocked to see that his plan had actually worked. Soon a smile appeared on his face.

"You did! Way to go!" cheered Sparx on the side lines.

"_Clever, very clever"_ thought Ignitus with a smile, _"Using the fire to create a smoke screen; very unorthodox but creative. With more training he'll be a very powerful dragon"_

"So what's next Ignitus?" asked a very impatient Spyro

"Calm down Spyro" said Ignitus, "Your next lesson is use fire in a more…explosive manner if you will. I want you to stand in the middle of the room."

Spyro did just that

"Now I want you to close your eyes and concentrate. I want you to feel the fire within you coursing through you. Do you feel it?"

"I think so" said Spyro doing what Ignitus is telling him.

"It should feel as if your heart is caldron containing the fire within"

Spyro was starting to feel what Ignitus was talking about. His heart was indeed warm and getting warmer.

"Are you starting to feel it?"

"Yes Ignitus"

"Good now keep building that flame. Make it stronger"

Pretty soon flames started to form out of Spyro's body. First it came out in small flashes then growing to bigger waves. Shun watched in awe as he saw flames surround Spyro.

"Good feel the flames building inside of you and release it"

When Ignitus said that Spyro opened his eyes and let everything go. He was soon surrounded by a magnificent display of fire. Anything that would have been 10 feet of him would have been destroyed in an instant.

"Whoa, pretty" said Sparx as he witnessed the light show. Shun was still at awe.

"_Incredible"_ thought Ignitus, _"He mastered the basics so quickly. I shouldn't be surprised he is the purple dragon after all"_

The blaze soon subsided. As it did Spyro was standing in the middle of the training room panting heavily. The attack whipped away any energy he had left.

"What's going on?" asked Spyro still panting, "I was no where near tired. Why am I so exhausted?"

"It's the attack you just used" said Ignitus, "It's something that should only be used if you're ever in trouble. It called fury."

"Spyro, are you ok?" asked Shun as walked over to him.

"Yeah but my chest really hurts" replied Spyro as he was held his chest.

"Let me look"

Spyro moved his paw and revealed a burn mark. It wasn't anything serious just a small black mark. Sparx flew over and took a look at it as well

"Oh does baby need me to kiss it to make it better" mocked Sparx

"At least I have a reason to be in pain Mr. Mommy I have a thorn in my hand make it better"

"Hey that thorn really hurt"

"Do you two bicker like this all the time?" asked Shun

"Yeah pretty much" replied Sparx

"Alright you guys enough," interrupted Ignitus, "let's tend to Spyro right now. Follow me"

Ignitus headed out of the training hall and down the hall with the others following him. They continued down the hall until they reached what appears to be a medical wing. It too was in shambles. With all the rooms littered with broken beds, old weapons, and overgrown vines coming through the windows. They approached by a room for intensive care. As they did there was a smell of death that filled the air. As they passed it Spyro and Sparx gagged as the room was filled with the many bodies of dead apes. Also, in a small corner, laid a sight that brought Ignitus to tears. There, in the corner, were skeletons of some of the dragons that lived in the temple. The men, women, and even the children who were unfortunate to escape. These were people Ignitus knew well and now they're gone. They soon reached a doctors office. It appeared to have been raided for supplies.

"What are we doing here?" asked Shun

"We're here to get something to aid Spyro" explain Ignitus

"Well it looks like what ever we need is long gone" said Sparx

"Not entirely" said Ignitus, "most doctors always kept a secret emergency stash hidden in their offices. A stash that I have access to. I highly doubt the apes have found it."

Ignitus then puts his paw on a blank. A large square than lit up and revealed a large box. Ignitus pulled the box out to reveal the contents inside. Spyro looked confused. They were crystals. Ordinary crystals. There were only two colors red and green. This couldn't have been the aid Ignitus spoke of.

"Hey what gives?" asked Sparx, "These are just crystals. What about the aid you promised?"

"This is it Sparx" retorted Ignitus

"Ok I'm confused"

Ignitus didn't say anything and gave Spyro one of the red crystals. He told Spyro to smash it and he did just that. Suddenly the crystal shards began to circle him. They soon headed into his chest where the burn mark was. One after the other the shards disappeared into his chest and the mark started to disappear as well. Pretty soon the burn was gone completely and the pain along with it. Sparx and Spyro were completely confused.

"What was that?" asked Sparx

"That was a healing crystal" said Ignitus, "we dragons use them when ever we get hurt"

"This is incredible," said Spyro excited, "it's as if I didn't get hurt"

"Don't get over excited Spyro," interrupted Shun

"Why?" asked Spyro

"Because the healing crystals are but a quick fix" said Ignitus, "they only heal minor things like cuts, bruises, burns, stuff like that. However, things like broken bones, punctured organs, severed arteries won't be instantly healed. Your body has to heal those on their own. The red crystals are used for pain killer when something like that happens."

"Wait" interrupted Sparx, "why don't they heal the major stuff"

"So we don't get dependent on them" continued Ignitus, "so you must be careful Spyro"

"I will" said Spyro, "what do the green crystals do?"

Ignitus gave him the green crystal. Spyro smashed it like before. The green shards circled him and went into his body. Suddenly his energy was suddenly replenished. As if the energy of a thousand suns was coursing through his body

"Whoa" he said, "I feel…so rejuvenated. As if I can take on anything that comes my way. What's happening?"

"The green crystals replenishes any energy loss. So if you're ever tired you can use these crystals to feel better, but be careful. These crystals have a side effect"

"What kind of side effect?"

"If you take too many or become too dependent your body will become addicted to them. It's a very hard habit to kick. These are helpful but only when used in moderation. Promise me you won't get carried away."

"I promise"

"Good…now I think that will do it for today. Shun, why don't you take your brother and Sparx to explore the temple"

"Ok" said Shun, "hey guys follow me; I want to show you something"

Ignitus watched as they darted out of the medical wing. With Shun at point, Spyro in the middle, and Sparx close behind. He envied their youth and enthusiasm. He soon made his way to the pool of visions to locate the other guardians.

It was early afternoon. Spyro and Sparx was following Shun to who knows where.

"It's just down this hall" said Shun

"Are you sure you know where your going?" asked Sparx

"I'm positive. I found this place when I was by myself"

They soon reached a closed door. It was the place that Shun wanted to bring them. Spyro was the first to notice as stem came out of through the cracks.

"What room is this?" asked Spyro

Shun smirked and opened the door. Inside was a completely refurbished bath house. With hot springs pouring into a rather large pool. There was also a smaller pool for the kids. It was long but not deep. The spring water came out of what appears to be a dragon's mouth. Spyro and Sparx were completely thrown back by the entire room. Mainly because this is the only room that the apes tried to keep clean.

Shun was the first one in the pool. He felt as if his body was being purified. He waved his paw to bring Spyro and Sparx in. Spyro jumped in without thinking. When he hit the water it splashed Shun in the face. Spyro came out of the water to see Shun stare angrily at him.

"Sorry Shun" said Spyro

Sparx had crabbed something that floats and placed it in the water. He laid on it as it float in the pool.

"I got to say…you dragons sure do know how to live" said Sparx relaxed

They stayed in the bath house for a while. They didn't even notice the sun was going down, but they didn't care. After what's happened to them over the past few days this was heaven. However, heaven was going to be put on pause as Ignitus made his way in.

"I'd thought find you three in here" said Ignitus

"Hey Ignitus" replied Spyro

"Hey big red" said an annoying Sparx

"I know you all are enjoying yourselves but it time to get out" said Ignitus

"Why?" asked Sparx

"I've found the location of one of the guardians" said Ignitus, "now dry up and meet me at the pool of vision"

With that Ignitus left. The soon got out of the water and started to dry up. They looked to see that they have been in the pool all afternoon as the sun was starting to set. After they were dry they soon made their way to the pool of vision to discover where the first guardian was.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Man that was a long one. Now I know that this chapter has a lot of explanations, but don't give up yet. The good stuff will come in the next chapter I promise so just stay with it. Until comment on the story. See you soon.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hey slapstick here. Well it's time for the next chapter. We left off where Ignitus just told the kids that he found the location of one of the guardians.

Chapter 9

"So which guardian did you find first master?" asked Shun

"The guardian that I have located is the electric guardian named Volteer" said Ignitus, "He is located north from here. In a place called Dante's Freezer"

"Why's it called that?" asked Spyro

"Dante's Freezer is a fortress of war in the icy tundra's of the north. It hosted one of the bloodiest battles in history. Now it sits frozen in time, with the souls of those who died and the weapons that were used…never to be disturbed."

"Until now you mean" said Sparx

"Precisely" answered Ignitus, "Cynder and her forces have claimed Dante's Freezer as their own…as a second base of operations. I am positive that Volteer is being held captive there. Tomorrow you must head to Dante's Freezer and rescue him before we lost forever"

"Wait a minute," interrupted Sparx, "**WE** must go? Why can't you come with us?"

"Because Sparx, someone has to stay behind to look after the temple. If I was to go with you there will be nothing to stop the apes from retaking the temple. I will be here to make sure that does not happen"

"Yeah right" whisper Sparx to Spyro, "I bet he just doesn't want to face the danger"

"Quiet Sparx" hushed Spyro

Ignitus just simply shrugged it off and pretended he didn't hear that

"Are there any more questions?" he asked

"Yeah," answered Shun, "Why are we going tomorrow? Why can't we leave now?"

"If you were to leave now it would be midnight when you get there. With the times we are in now, it is too dangerous for dragons your age to be out at night alone. Are there any more?"

"I have one" said Spyro, "How exactly are we going to get?"

Ignitus and Shun looked at each other confused as to how Spyro doesn't know

"You don't know?" asked Shun

"Know what?" asked Spyro confused

"Why… you fly there young one" finished Ignitus

Spyro and Sparx were both shocked by that.

"Wait," said Sparx, "so your say that Spyro, someone who has never gotten more then 5 ft. off the ground, can fly?"

Ignitus simply smiled and nodded

"Ok…I don't know how long you two were in that forest but there's no way Spyro can fly"

"I'm going to have to agree with Sparx on this one" said Spyro, "you guys may have been in that forest for a bit too long. I've never flown in my life"

"What did you think those things on your back were?" asked Shun

"I just thought they were just some kind of growths" answered Spyro

"Well let us find out if those are merely growths" said Ignitus "follow me"

"This I got to see" said Sparx

They soon arrived at the balcony over looking the land

"We dragons indeed have the ability of flight Spyro. We all learn at a very young age and it does not take long to master" said Ignitus

"I'm not truly convinced" said Spyro

"Well, then I guess a demonstration is in order" Ignitus then turned to Shun "Go on Shun"

Shun nodded and headed over to the ledge. Spyro looked concerned. Shun reached the ledge. He looked over the land and took it all in. The wind, the scenery, and the warm sun were all intoxicating. Then, without think, he jumped off.

"SHUN!" yelled Spyro as he ran to the ledge. He saw his brother doing a free fall to the ground. Ignitus was also watching the scene.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" yelled Sparx at Ignitus

"Just wait" said Ignitus in a calming voice.

Shun was plummeting to the ground at an alarming rate.

50 ft.

Spyro's heartbeat was rapidly increasing.

40 ft.

Everything seemed to have slowed down for him.

30 ft.

He couldn't believe it. He just found his long lost brother and in a blink of an eye he was going to lose him and for what? Just to show him this ridiculous flight ability?

20 ft.

Before the ground got any closer Shun decided to open his wings and pull up. He barely missed the ground. He was now ascending back up the level of the balcony and beyond. He was flying. Spyro couldn't believe his eyes. Shun was flying through the clouds and into the sky. After about a minute of flight Shun returned to the balcony where everyone was waiting. Spyro looked in amazement.

"I can do that?" asked Spyro

"Yes you can young one, but lets start with just getting off the ground before you go jumping off of ledges" said Ignitus, "now close your eyes"

Spyro, excited, did just that

"Now clear your mind. Do not over think. Feel your instincts coursing through your veins. Let them take over your body. By trusting them you will be able to remember what you were born to do. You will remember that you are a dragon and that you can fly"

"I don't really feel anything" said Spyro

"Open your eyes" said Shun

When he did the sight was simply amazing. Everything was starting to rise. The ground was separating from his feet. He couldn't believe what was happening. Neither could Sparx, his mouth was completely opened. Spyro was no longer bounded by gravity. He could fly.

"I can't believe it" said Spyro, "I'm fly…I'm actually flying!"

"I can't believe it either" said Sparx

Spyro was getting higher from the ground. Shun jumped into the air to join him with Sparx close behind.

"Come this way Spyro" he said as he guided Spyro

Ignitus stayed on the ground and watched from below. He watched as Spyro tried to learn how to fly, and watched as Shun instructed him. He was happy to see Shun take the role of big brother so quickly. Teaching him and taking care of him. It truly did bring a smile to Ignitus' face. Pretty soon the time managed to get away from them. Night had arrived, but there was still a tiny bit of light left. Ignitus looked up at the young ones and called to them.

"Spyro, Shun, Sparx, it's time to come down. You have a long journey ahead of you" he said

Shun was the first down, but Spyro hadn't figured out the landing part yet. He got as close to Ignitus who helped him down to the ground. They soon made there way to the sleeping chambers with Sparx lighting the way. When they arrived they immediately went to there places. Ignitus in his corner with Spyro next to him, Sparx in his little hammock, and Shun lying in front of Ignitus and Spyro. As quickly as they lay down they were all fast asleep. It was going to be a busy day tomorrow so they need to be ready. From here on out it will no longer be easier.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Well there you go the flying lesson is done. The next chapter they will spring Volteer from his captors. I hope you all enjoyed it. If not let me know. Leave a comment saying what I need to improve on, or if the story is just to slow. See ya next time guys. See ya.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: hey slaps here. Well we managed to get ten chapters up and it's still going strong. Well let's get started with the new chapter. We left off with everyone getting ready for the trip.

Chapter 10

It was really early in the morning. Ignitus was the first to wake up. He proceeded to wake the children.

"Spyro wake up," he said

Without hardly any effort Spyro opened his eyes

"Spyro, wake up the others and meet me out on the balcony" Before Spyro's eyes could adjust Ignitus was already gone. Spyro stood up, yawned, and stretch trying to wake himself up. He decided to wake Sparx up first. From his past experiences he's learned that Sparx is the most difficult to wake up. He could sleep through an earthquake if he wanted to.

"Sparx" he called, "Sparx wake up." He then flew up to Sparx since he was in a small hammock close to the roof. "Sparx wake up" he said tapping him lightly. Sparx mumbled to himself and slapped Spyro's paw away. Spyro knew that he wasn't going to wake up that easily so he resorted to a more practical approach. He simply tipped the hammock over just far enough so Sparx could roll out of it. Sparx landed face first on the ground. Obviously that woke him up.

"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?" he yelled at the top of his lungs

"Sorry Sparx but Ignitus told me to wake everyone" said Spyro laughing a bit

"Well you could have tried to wake me up some other way"

"Jeez Sparx, can you be any louder?" said Shun sarcastically in a groggy state. Spyro didn't intend to wake Shun up that way, but it did save him time.

"Well maybe you should tell Spyro not to wake me up like that" said Sparx

"Come on you guys Ignitus is waiting for us on the balcony" said Spyro. After Sparx and Shun stretched they all made their way to the balcony. They expected to have a huge sunrise, but to their surprise that wasn't what they were greeted to. The light from the sun was barely starting to peek over the horizon. The stars were all still out and the celestial moons were just starting to set. They knew they had to get up early, but they didn't think this early. When they reached Ignitus there were two piles of fruit sitting right in front of him. Thanks to everything that's been going on they forgotten that none of them have eaten anything since they all met. With in seconds of seeing that food all their stomachs started to rumble.

"Here, I brought you some fruit. This should hold you" said Ignitus. Spyro and Shun wasted no time. They jumped right in and ate the fruit. Sparx was upset as there wasn't any for him. So he thought. Ignitus pointed to a smaller pile of berries just for him. Sparx rushed over and devoured the berries.

After a few minutes of eating Spyro was the first one done. He looked up at Ignitus and asked "Ignitus, why did you wake us up so early?"

"The journey to Dante's Freezer will take you sometime" he said, "When you arrive there it should be close to mid-day. Remember, when you get there find Volteer as quickly as you can and get out of there. If you happen to see Cynder, run, don't try to fight her. You two are not ready yet."

Shun stopped eating to through his thoughts into the conversation

"What? What do you mean we should run? We should take Cynder out when we have the chance."

"I admire your optimism Shun and your right Cynder must be stopped, but as I said before you are not ready to face her yet."

"But master…"

"Enough" Ignitus' voice was very powerful. It caused Shun to step back out of fear. "I don't want you going anywhere near Cynder. Do you understand?"

"Yes master"

Soon everyone was finished with breakfast and ready to go. Shun jumped into the air and began to fly, but was waiting on Spyro who was still new at the whole flying thing. When Spyro reached up to Shun they were ready to go.

"Ok…let's get this over with" said Sparx head in a direction not knowing where he was going.

"Sparx" Shun called, "North is the other way"

"I knew that" Sparx turned around and headed the opposite direction. Shun rolled his eyes at Sparx

"Be careful out there young ones" said Ignitus worried

"We will Ignitus" said Spyro. With that they started to fly off. Heading to Dante's Freezer to save another guardian. Before they were out of ear shot Ignitus called to them in a prayer.

"May the Ancestors look after you" he said, "May they look after us all." They were now too far for Ignitus to see or hear them. They were now on their own to face the dangers that lay before them.

They have been flying north for a few hours now and it was beginning to take its toll on them. Especially on Spyro, since he just started flying yesterday. His pace was starting to slow from the long flight and Shun was starting to notice.

"Maybe we should land and rest" He said. Spyro shook his head

"No…let's…keep going" he said panting

"Spyro he's right" said Sparx, "You should really save your strength"

"I'm alright, I can keep going" Spyro lied. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he fell out of the skies, and that scared him. For awhile now they've been completely covered by clouds. If he did fall out of the sky he might land somewhere dangerous. Shun wanted Spyro to be safe so this time he didn't ask.

"Spyro we're land and that's final" Spyro couldn't argue with him this time. So he simply nodded and followed. They started to descend out of the clouds slowly. Since they couldn't see they had to be careful. They soon broke through the clouds when they noticed something. That below them was a frozen wasteland fill with glacier ice and snow covered mountains. They didn't really notice this since they were covered by clouds. They were indeed close. After a few more minutes of flying they reached their destination, Dante's Freezer. The fortress was cover from head to toe in snow. They saw the scars from previous battles, the many weapons that sprang out of the snow, and the armor of fallen soldiers. It was indeed a frozen graveyard untouched by time. They soon made their descent towards the fortress unfortunately Spyro forgot to learn one more important thing about flying.

"How on earth do I land?" he called

"I thought you learned back at the temple?" asked Shun

"No Ignitus helped me down last time"

"Well it's simple. Before you get to the ground pull your wings back and jerk your body upward."

Spyro tried to do what Shun said but found it harder to do than he thought. He was approaching the ground fast. He couldn't do anything except brace for impact. With in seconds he crashed hard into the ground. Sparx looked away for a second.

"Oh…that had to hurt" he said

Spyro turned and saw that Shun was about to land. He reached the ground and before he crashed he did exactly what he told Spyro. He pulled his wings back and jerked his body upwards. It slowed his descent and he landed firmly on the ground. Shun looked at Spyro with a smug look on his face.

"That's how you land" he said

Spyro simply smiled back and got back to his feet, but thanks to the ice he was back on the ground. He was finally able to stand after the second time. Using his claws to keep himself from falling.

"So where to now?" asked Spyro

"Well," said Sparx, "we could find some convoluted secret entrance somewhere around the fortress, or we could just go through that giant whole in the wall that leads to the interior."

"Ok Mr. Sarcastic"

"Come on you guys" said Shun

They made their way into the fortress. With every step they felt more and more unease. As they knew that they could me stepping on unmarked graves.

"This place is so eerie" said Spyro

"That's why we need to find Master Volteer and get out of here" said Shun

They looked around to see where they should go next. To the right of the entrance was a giant wall made from the old weapons and equipment. They started climbing. When they reached the top they saw apes scattered everywhere. Some where on guard towers so they had stay low. Some were doing regular patrols from the ground, and some apes were being trained.

"What do we do?" asked Spyro

"We take care of the problem" Shun then jumped down from the wall and attacked a near by ape. Spyro soon followed with Sparx by his side. The guards on the tower noticed them and rang the bells to alarm the rest of the apes. They all pulled out their swords and charged at them. Shun and Spyro looked at each other and they both sent out their attacks. Spyro's flames soon mixed with Shun's black aura. Creating black flames that soon engulfed the charging apes. The apes screamed in agony as their bodies soon burned away. Spyro looked in horror at the burning bodies. To see that he was the cause of lost lives. It nearly brought a tear to his eye. However, he remembered what Ignitus said. He would be doing this a lot. It's something that he'll have to get use to. After the fire cleared they saw that the remaining apes retreated further into the fortress. Shun quickly took out the towers that gave them away. They now had a clear path. Spyro wasn't so sure if any of this was necessary.

"You know we could have just snuck past them" he said

"Yeah but this was more fun" said Shun

They soon made their way further in the fortress. As they continued on a huge shadow flew right above them. Sparx was the first to notice and received a chill because of it.

"Did you guys see that?" he asked

"See what?" asked Spyro

"That shadow, it was huge. It was so full of evil I got a chill from it"

"The chill is probably from the cold. I mean it's like -10 degrees here or something, and I'm pretty sure you just imagined the shadow. Like the time you thought you saw a ghost back home"

"Hey that one was real"

"Come on guys lets go. We need to hurry" said Shun

They continued following the path. Going deeper and deeper into the fortress. They soon arrived to a clearing with another tower in the middle. Coming out of it were what appear to be skeletons in armor. On top of the tower was an ape with a very weird looking device. The ape aimed it at them and grabbed a clear crystal that appeared to be pulsating with a yellow charge. He placed it inside the device and within seconds an electric strike shot out. They were caught completely off guard. It struck Spyro quickly. He soon fell over out of pain.

"Spyro!" scream Shun, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine" he said as he slowly got up. The armored skeletons wasted no time in attacking. They charged the dragons. Spyro looked up and noticed. He opened his mouth and was hoping to shoot fire. Instead he shot something else, electricity. It was quick and struck the skeletons. They soon crumbled away in their armor. Shun and Sparx looked at Spyro with their eyes and mouths open.

"Whoa" said Sparx, "you are just getting weirder by the second"

Suddenly there was a giant explosion. Spyro and Sparx turned to see the tower had been destroyed along with the ape.

"Let's keep moving. We're close" said Shun.

They continued down the path when they came across a massive door that led inside what looks to be an underground prison. Shun and Spyro tried pushing on it but to no avail. Soon Sparx made an observation.

"Hey genius' over here" they looked over at Sparx to see a tunnel that leads inside. They made their way in.

After about 5 minutes they were now inside. They looked around and saw nothing. Unfortunately, Sparx had to be as load as possible.

"Hey dragon guy are you in here?" he called

"Would you shut up" barked Spyro, but it was too late. They were soon surrounded by dozens of apes and skeleton warriors.

"Great job" said Shun. They soon began to fight their way through the prison looking for Volteer. They took down many enemies before reaching what appears to be a dead end. However, on a ledge, just in front of them, was a yellow dragon lying unconscious.

"Is that him?" asked Sparx

"Yeah" replied Shun

"Good, let's wake him up get out of here"

Without warning a monster climbed off an ice throne. It was another skeleton warrior, but this one was different. It was ten times bigger the others they faced. It had much bigger shield and sword.

"DEMON ICE MONSTER!" yelled Sparx. He then flew behind the unconscious dragon for cover. The monster paid no attention to Sparx and attacked the two dragons in front of him. It swung its sword down try to cut them. Shun pushed Spyro out the way and jump at the same time. The sword slammed into the ground. Shun jumped into the air and whipped his tail around trying to hit the demon in the head. It saw Shun coming and swung it's left arm. It not only blocked the attack, it sent Shun flying into the wall.

"Shun" called Spyro. He then shot an electric strike at the demon. As quick the strike was, the demon was faster. He brought his shield back and blocked the attack. Spyro was stunned. The demon walked over to Spyro ready to kill him. Spyro never faced something like this before so he was too scared to move. When the demon reached Spyro he swung his sword down. Soon Shun tackled Spyro out of the way of the sword.

"Come on Spyro snap out of it" said Shun. Spyro was shaken but he finally came to. Sparx was watching by Volteer.

"Oh man this is bad" he said, "They really need help." He then looked at Volteer and tried to wake him up. "Hey big guy, come on, wake up" Sparx really tried to wake him up. Soon there was a small moan. "It's working" he kept trying. Soon Volteer slowly opened his eyes. It was rather blurry to him but he was awake.

"What…who are you…what's going on?" he said

"Look Mr.…big…dragon guy. You may not know me but my friends are in trouble over there and they could really use your help"

"What" Volteer then looked over where all the commotion was coming from. Things were still relatively blurry. He did see the giant bohemian as well as two blurred dots circling and attacking it. He tried to stand but it was very difficult.

Shun was just knocked back down to the ground. Spyro shots his flames at it but that shield keeps blocking it. Spyro was almost drained from this fight and so was Shun. It seemed as if this thing couldn't be stopped when suddenly an electric attack struck the monster in it back. Shun and Spyro looked to see where the attack came from. It was Volteer. He was barely standing. Shun then noticed that the demon was momentarily paralyzed.

"_That's it,"_ thought Shun _"but it'll just block the attack"_ He then remembered that they're in a prison completely made of ice. Soon a thought came into his head. "Spyro. Use your fire to melt the ice above the demon." Spyro flew up and started to melt the ice. Shun distracted the demon, keeping it one place. The ice soon got the demon completely wet. Spyro soon caught on to the idea. He flew back down in front of the demon and shot another electric strike. The demon brought his shield up to block, but it failed. Since the shield was wet the current spread through it's body completely paralyzing. Shun then shot out his white aura at it. The plan worked without that shield they were able to defeat demon.

"We did it!" said Spyro. He then noticed Shun come to him with a green crystal.

"Here" he said

"Where did you get this from?"

"Over there" he pointed to the some growing on the ground. Spyro didn't know that they can grow like that. Now he does. They then maid their way to Volteer, who managed to get himself of the ledge. "Here take this" Shun then gave Volteer another green crystal. He smashed it and all his energy came flowing back. His vision was even restoring. The first one to Volteer noticed was Shun.

"Shun?" said Volteer, "I can't believe it. Your alive"

"It's good to see you again Master Volteer" replied Shun. Volteer then noticed Spyro.

"Is that who I think it is?" Volteer scratched his eyes. "It is. This is incredible, stupendous, and phenomenal. I've heard rumors of the purple dragon from the apes but I didn't think much of it, and here you are. Standing in front of me. It's nice to meet you…um…um"

"Spyro sir"

"So Spyro is it. Well you are truly are powerful for you to stand up to a monster of that size. I mean it's outstanding…" Volteer just continued on about how strong Spyro and Shun are.

"Hey, Shun, what's wrong with him" said Sparx

"Yeah…I forgot to mention that Master Volteer likes to sometimes babble" said Shun. When they finished talking Volteer was still going on. "Master Volteer" Shun interrupted.

"Huh, what?" said Volteer

"I think we should get out of here before more forces come"

"Yes of course, but where to?"

"The temple" said Spyro

"There's an old friend waiting there for you" said Sparx

"You mean Ignitus?" said Volteer, "This is most exciting, appealing, and electrifying. So much to tell him…"

"Um…Master" interrupted Shun

"Oh yes, let's continue this back at the temple"

They made their way through the prison and reached the door they found before. Volteer used his electric strike and destroyed the door. Within seconds they saw hundreds of enemies were emerging from the castle inside the fortress. The enemy had heard all the commotion from before and came like swarming like rats. The dragons knew they couldn't take on all of them at once. So they just simply flew from the situation. Managing to escape Dante's Freezer with their lives. However, Shun wasn't to proud of that. He wanted to force the enemy out of that fortress. As long as they had control of that place it will be much harder to defeat them.

When they flew above the clouds they noticed that the sun was starting to set. It was still to dangerous to be out at night, but they should reach the temple just after the sun sets. On top of that they have Volteer with them. It's much safer.

After a few hours of, with the occasional rest stops, they reached the temple right on schedule. The sun had fully set an hour ago. They soon made their way through the temple and found Ignitus in the pool of visions chamber. Ignitus was thrilled to see his old friend, at first. When they met it was great but Volteer's babbling soon got on Ignitus' nerves. They had to get Volteer back on track. He knew things about the enemy and they need that information now.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Man that was a long one, but it is the tenth chapter. I hope you liked the rescuing of Volteer. I really did enjoy writing it. Chapter eleven will be coming soon. Until then comment on this chapter and tell me what you think. See you soon.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hey slapstick here. I noticed that NITRO and TLOSpyrogirl have started the second part of their story. Man I'm slow. I need to catch up and that's what I plan to do. I'll try to get these chapters out faster. Anyway let's continue the story. We left off with Volteer, Shun, Spyro, and Sparx arriving at the temple.

Chapter 11

"Yes, Volteer, it's good to see you too but we have other things to talk about," said Ignitus. They had all gathered near the Pool of Visions. "You must tell us anything you can about Cynder's plan."

"Oh yes, of course" said Volteer. "Well I'm sorry Ignitus but I have no idea as to what Cynder is planning. She kept me in that fortress for a rather extensive time, depleting my energy and using it as some kind of secondary power source."

"She was doing what?" asked Sparx.

"She was using him as a spare battery," said Spyro.

"It would be easier to understand him if he just said that."

"So that's what that crystal was," said Shun, ignoring Sparx.

"What crystal?" asked Ignitus.

"One of the apes we fought used a crystal to power a weapon. It was clear and was illuminating a bright yellow aura."

"So she used my energy to sustain a crystal and applied it against her adversaries," said Volteer.

"What?" asked Sparx.

"She's using his powers against use," answered Spyro.

"If there's one then there is likely to be more. Is that all she did Volteer?" asked Ignitus.

"No, just before Spyro and Shun came, Cynder asked me some interesting questions," said Volteer.

"What did she ask you?"

"Some of the questions involved me exposing your location, and the others were questions about Warfang and the other great cities. I spoke not a word to her. She then placed some kind of purple crystal to my forehead. Suddenly everything was being trained from me. It's as if my very essence was being extracted right out of me. My powers, my thoughts, my memories, and my knowledge were all taken. Before I lost consciousness I noticed that the crystal began to pulsate. Does this mean anything to you Ignitus?"

"No…I have no idea what Cynder's true motives are, but I do know that we must find the other guardians before she extracts anything from them." Ignitus looked over at Shun and Spyro and noticed that they were starting to dose off a bit. "Why don't you two go get some rest? I'm sure you must be exhausted from today."

"Yes, young ones, you should indeed get some rest, especially you Spyro. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Why? What are we doing tomorrow?" asked Spyro.

"Well it's come to my attention that during you journey you've acquired electric based exhalation. I wish to give you useful knowledge as to controlling it."

"What did he say?" asked Sparx.

"He wants to teach me how to you use that electric breathe," replied Spyro.

"Why are simple words hard for this guy to use?"

"This also applies to you, Shun," said Ignitus. "After they finish Spyro's training, we will continue with your training. You've had a few days off but it's time for you to get back into it."

"Yes master," said Shun. With that the young dragons and Sparx made their way to the sleep chambers. Once they were out of ear shot Volteer and Ignitus got down to more serious issues.

"Ignitus," said Volteer, "do you really believe those two can put an end to all of this?"

"I'm not too sure," said Ignitus, "but I'm willing to bet everything on those two."

"I know you truly care about them, Ignitus. I mean they are Rye and Aceta's children, but you have to face reality. These two aren't ready to face Cynder or the Dark Master. Shun is indeed more powerful since the last time I saw him, but he's still as reckless as ever. As for Spyro…he maybe the purple dragon but he's inexperienced. He doesn't have the know-how to fight in a war."

"I already know that, Volteer, but that's why we're here. To pass on our knowledge to them so they are prepared for the world. I believe in them and I know that they will do great things."

"I hope you're right, Ignitus. This war is something that should not continue. People are dying every day. We need to put an end to all of that soon. I just hope we can stop it."

"I hope so too." There was soon silence. Ignitus was looking into the Pool of Visions in hopes to find one of the guardians quicker. Volteer was starting to feel tired as well so he headed to the sleep chambers. As he walked he noticed the poor conditions the temple was in. The walls were stained with the blood of their enemies and their friends. The beautifully carved statues were torn asunder and pieces were scattered along the floors. Plant life has made their way into the temple through the cracks and groves of the floors. Many vines hung from the ceilings and wrapped around pillars. It was a depressing sight. As he walked down the halls he started thinking.

"_I wish I had the same optimism that Ignitus has, but I just don't see it. I have no doubt that Spyro and Shun are strong. I just don't think their strong enough. Why does Ignitus think that they will overcome all odds?"_ He soon reached the sleep chambers. He entered and witnessed a sight that warmed his heart. There, in the corner on the other side of the room, was Spyro and Shun sleeping side by side, with Sparx on top of Shun's head. Seeing this soon brought a thought to Volteer's head. _"I see now. This must be what Ignitus is seeing. Even though they are young and even though they might not be strong enough, they are brothers. They will look out for each other when thing s get worse, and even with someone like Sparx with them they will be ok. This is why Ignitus isn't that worried. He is indeed wise."_ Volteer soon made his way to his section of the room. Hanging was a banner with the electric symbol on it. He lay down and began to drift to sleep.

The next morning the two guardians were all ready up. Volteer was prepping the training room, and Ignitus continued his search for the other guardians. They decided to let Spyro and Shun sleep in. Shun was the first one to wake up. He looked over and noticed Spyro lying next to him. He also felt Sparx on his head. He tilted down and laid Sparx on top of Spyro's head. The tap on his head quickly woke up Spyro. He looked around and saw Shun stretching. He also noticed some fruits lay out in front of him. Even some berries for Sparx to eat. Spyro tilted his head and Sparx fell to the ground hard. Sparx got up and yawned. He also noticed the fruit and dove right in. Shun and Spyro simply chuckled and ate too. After eating they made their way to the pool of visions where Ignitus and Volteer where waiting for them.

"Look who's up," said Ignitus.

"Yes, I was beginning to think that you had fallen under some kind of coma," said Volteer. "Are you ready for your training Spyro?"

"I am," said Spyro, "but I have a question."

"What is it?" asked Ignitus.

"Well…you said that being the purple dragon I can learn any ability right?"

"Yes."

"I was wondering, if we have time, you could teach me Shun's abilities?" Volteer and Ignitus looked at each other in shock. Spyro looked at them in confusion. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Spyro…" Ignitus had trouble finding the words, "…you can't learn Shun's abilities"

"Why? Can I not learn them?"

"It's not that you can't learn them…it's that you shouldn't learn them." Spyro looked at Ignitus even more confused. "You see Shun has special powers that only dragons of his kind can…well…control. Shun uses the powers of light and darkness. They are very powerful elements, but very hard to control. We don't want you to learn those powers. Do you understand?"

"Not entirely, but if you say no then I won't learn."

"Excellent, now that we got that out of the way let's begin with our electric training. Follow me to the training room," said Volteer. They soon left Ignitus and Shun alone. Ignitus looked at Shun who had his head down.

"Shun," said Ignitus, "I have this feeling that you are still upset with me."

"Well kind of," said Shun.

"I don't blame you. I should have told you that you had a sibling a long time ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know that Spyro was alive. I thought he had died a long time ago. So I didn't really feel the need to tell you that had a sibling. Plus, like I said before, you were so use to the life you were already given. I didn't want to change it. Do you understand?"

"I guess I do, but why did you separate us in the first place?'

"Before your parents died, Shun. They asked me to be yours and Spyro's godfather. I accepted. When they died I was given the responsibility of your care and safety. When the temple was attack everything was chaotic. I had to get Spyro out first. When I did I realized that he wouldn't be safe in my care. So I sent him down a river. I later came back. When I did they had dragged you out of the nursery, and were deciding whether or not to kill you. I managed to get you out. After words I knew you had become accustomed to being around dragons. So I took you to a hidden dragon village a few miles away from the temple. There you stayed with your adoptive parents." Shun didn't say any thing else. He simply thought over everything Ignitus told him. "I understand your upset, but always remembered that I always cared. Do you understand?"

"I do."

"Good."

_In the training room_

Volteer, Spyro, and Sparx were soon inside the training. Spyro was in the middle waiting for his first training session.

"You've recently had some experience to help you adapt to the flow of electricity," said Volteer, "but it's still not enough."

Volteer circled Spyro, the sound of his paw steps echoing across the rocky, moss-laden walls of the temple. Pale grey light filtered through the windows near its patterned ceiling; though it was almost noon, clouds hid the sun and there the air was foggy and damp. Spyro shivered. Rain was to come.

"I'm pretty sure that you're aware of how different electricity is to fire," Volteer continued. "It's a very fast-acting element – there's no going back once you decide to attack."

"But if I change my mind when using the element of fire," Spyro enquired curiously, "my flames will only come out as a small ember."

The guardian stepped back before a dummy materialised before him. "Then try it."

Spyro lowered himself into a fighting stance, imagining that the dummy was a real ape trying to invade the temple. Very soon he felt the lively, energetic tingle of electricity in his veins. He allowed it to build up for a few seconds before it was all too much to control; then, right before he fired it he tried to stop the attack. But it was too late – the electricity had already left his jaw. His lack of focus had meant that he'd missed his target and the element was darting erratically around as if it had a mind of its own before vanishing in a small shower of sparks. The little purple dragon was taken aback by how quickly the attack had lasted.

Volteer stepped forwards. "You see, Spyro, there are no second thoughts with this element. It is swift and rapid; energetic and unpredictable. Now," - he moved backwards once again – "this time hit the target."

"No problem," said Spyro. However, it was a problem. Before he knew it the ape was right in front of him. Spyro barely managed to dodge the attack.

"Don't drop you guard," said Volteer, "I made this one faster than your common ape." Spyro then knew that this was going to be more difficult. The ape came at him quickly and swung his sword down. Spyro dodged but once again he barely managed to get away. The ape quickly recovered and attacked again. Spyro dodged the sword but didn't see the ape's other arm swinging around. He got hit hard and fell to the ground. The ape then plunged his sword at Spyro but it missed as Spyro rolled over. Spyro then took this chance to try to get some distance between them. Maybe he can shoot an elemental attack, but the ape didn't give him the chances. It threw its sword at Spyro. He tried to dodge it but the sword ended up cutting the side of his stomach.

"SPYRO!" yelled Sparx as he watched his brother getting hurt, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING VOLTEER? HELP HIM!" Before Volteer could intervene things were already getting worse.

Spyro fell to the ground and held his side as it bled. The ape grabbed Spyro by the horns, lifted him up, and punched Spyro hard in the stomach. When it did Spyro coughed up blood from the impact. It let Spyro go and when he landed the ape pulled out a dagger and was prepared to finish of the purple dragon. Spyro closed his eyes waiting for the final blow. Before the ape could attack it was soon stuck in the back by an electric attack and disappeared. Spyro looked up and saw that Volteer put to an end to this savage beating. Ignitus and Shun came running in from the sound of all the commotion.

"What's going on in here?" asked Ignitus, curious. Shun looked over to see a terrible sight. Spyro was on the ground holding his side as his paw was covered in blood. He ached as every breath felt like tiny needles piercing his body. Under him was a small amount of blood that lay on the floor.

"Spyro!" called Shun as he ran to his brother, "Are you ok?" Spyro struggled to get up.

"What the hell happened?" asked Ignitus in an angry voice.

"I was trying to significantly increase Spyro's endurance capability when we had a problem," explained Volteer. "I fear the training regiment was too much for the young dragon."

"You think?" said Ignitus sarcastically.

"Don't blame him, Ignitus," said Spyro as he tried to stand. "It's my fault that this happened. I got cocky and he told me not to."

"You shouldn't try to move too much," said a worried Sparx.

"I'm fine, Sparx."

"He's right, Spyro," said Shun.

"Wow I'm right…that's a first."

"Spyro, stay here I'll go get you a red crystal," said Volteer. He then left the training room and returned with a red crystal. He gave it to Spyro. When he smashed it the red shards went to the cut on the side of his stomach. Thankfully the cut wasn't too serious so the crystal was able to fully heal it along with the pain in his stomach. Within seconds Spyro was mobile again.

"Go and rest Spyro," said Ignitus

"I'm fine. I was hoping we could finish with our training," said Spyro. Ignitus was reluctant to let him continue, but he soon gave in.

"Very well," he said. He then turned his attention to Volteer, "but take it slow."

They soon continued with the training, but Ignitus and Shun were watching it this time. Spyro learned all he can about electricity. He also learned the fury attack, and this one also had a small side effect for first timers. Once Spyro used the attack he soon became paralyzed. It only lasted for a moment.

It was time to switch. Now that Spyro was done with his training it was Shun's turn. He made his way to the center of the training room. Volteer, Spyro, and Sparx watched from the side lines.

"All right Shun are you ready?" asked Ignitus

"Yeah," Shun replied. Ignitus then thought up about five apes to start him off. Two attacked simultaneously, swinging their swords down at Shun. He jumped in the air dodging both swords. He then fired a dark blast at the two on the ground, destroying them both. When he landed another ape attacked. He swung constantly at Shun, but missed every single one. Shun was soon backed into a wall. The ape then thrust its sword at the black and white dragon's head. Shun tilted to the left and the ape's sword got stuck into the wall. Shun jumped over it and was now behind it. The two remaining apes then tried to stab him as well. Shun ducked and avoided the sword. Instead, the swords impaled the ape with the sword in the wall. Shun then attacked with a light blast putting an end to this part of the training session.

"Very good," said Ignitus

"Way to go Shun," cheered Spyro.

"That's not too hard," mocked Sparx.

"Well I do say that was most remarkable, stupendous, phenomenal I may have doubted you a little too much young one," rambled Volteer

"Thanks everyone," said Shun.

"Don't get overly happy," said Ignitus, "your training isn't over. Now get ready." Shun then got ready for the next part. Ignitus thought up something a little different. Instead of apes with swords, he thought up of five archers. They too were in armour but not as much. They wore just enough to protect from getting injured. Being archers they didn't really join the battle like the other apes. They were the support for the grunt soldiers.

They all pulled out arrows and shot them off at Shun. He simply jumped up into the air, avoiding the arrows as the landed on the ground. Shun flew above the apes and fired a dark blast at them. To his surprise they all avoided the attack with ease. Three jumped up into the rafters and the other two stayed on the ground.

"What the?" questioned Shun. He didn't expect the archers to evade.

"Stay on your guard," said Ignitus, "I made these apes more difficult to hit."

The three in the rafters shot their arrows at Shun. He managed to avoid the arrows as they fell to the ground. This was going to be difficult. Not only are the apes faster, but also he as to keep his eye on two separate groups. As expected, the two on the ground shot their arrows of almost immediately after the ones in the rafters. Like before he dodged them. Shun need to get both groups in his vision. He attacked the three in the rafters with a light blast. The brightness of the blast made it hard to see so they were forced to jump down. Now that they were all back into view this wouldn't be as difficult. Shun flew down and waited for their next move. Soon all five, at once, shot an arrow. However, they didn't really aim at Shun. They seem to be aiming at his feet. As if they were pushing him back. For every shot Shun would jump back a few feet. After another wave of arrows, Shun was now backed up against the wall. The second he touched the wall on of the apes shot his arrow and the others didn't. Shun tilted his head to the left, and the arrow stuck to the wall. The second the arrow made contact with the wall it began to shine, a bright light that caught Shun's attention. There was a yellowish-white glow surround the arrow. It was beautiful, but as some people say beauty can sometimes be an explosion. The beautiful yellowish-white glow was replaced with a massive force of fire and ash as it surrounds the black and white dragon. Spyro looked in horror as Shun disappeared in the explosion. Suddenly, Shun flew out of the side of the smoke. He had many cuts and bruises all over him. He was lucky that he didn't receive any thing worse. He lay on the ground in pain. Ignitus looked at him upset.

"Get up Shun," he said.

"Ignitus," said Volteer, "can you not see he's had enough?"

"He's stronger than that."

Shun struggled to get up. Every movement felt as if metal strings were binding him down, cutting him in the process. However, the apes refused to wait. They shot another wave of arrows at Shun. Struggling, he avoided the arrows, then came one of the explosive arrows. Shun flew high in the air to avoid the explosion. He needed to put an end to this. Their faster than normal apes so they would simply dodge any attack. He couldn't get close to them because of the arrows. Just then a thought popped into his head. He just needed to wait.

As expected, the first four apes shot their wave of arrows up at Shun. He flew avoided them again, but his main focus was the ape that shot its arrow last. The arrow was coming right at him. Shun needed to time it right. When the arrow was in the right place, Shun whipped his tail around. The tail blade made contact with the arrow. He sent it flying back before it could explode. With in seconds the arrow was in front of the apes. It lit up and exploded. The other explosive arrows that the ape had were soon triggered on after the other. It didn't matter if they escaped or not as they were soon destroyed by the series of explosions. Shun landed on the ground, panting heavily. He soon collapsed from the pain. Spyro quickly rushed over to Shun.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Shun. Ignitus then grabbed a red crystal and gave it to him. Shun smashed it and all the cuts and bruises were gone.

"Good work, Shun," said Ignitus, "that will be enough for today." He then left the training room and made his way back over to the pool of visions, with Volteer following him.

An hour had past since they trained and it was mid afternoon. It was at that time where the sun wasn't too hot, and the air felt cool to the touch. Shun stood on the balcony over looking the islands. He saw the destruction that was left behind with the many battles that took place. Spyro soon made his way to the balcony with Sparx close by. He noticed Shun sitting near the edge and wasn't too happy. Was it from training or was it from everything that's going on? He didn't know what; all he wanted was to cheer Shun up. That's when Sparx had an idea.

"Hey Spyro," he said as quietly as he can, "I have an idea." He then whispered his plan. Spyro nodded and started approaching Shun, but he was on his belly. He slowly crept up behind him as the wind hid his footsteps. He was now a few feet from Shun. He got ready, and pounced on the unsuspecting dragon. Shun turned around and saw that it was Spyro.

"Oh, it's just you, Spyro," said Shun

"Hey how about we wrestle?" asked Spyro smiling.

"I don't think so," replied Shun as he tried to get up. Unfortunately, Spyro was still on top of him so he couldn't get up.

"Come on," begged Spyro.

"You know," said Sparx, "being the big brother, you have to keep the little brother entertained."

"Thank you, Sparx," said Shun angry. He then tried to get up one more time, but Spyro wouldn't let him. "Would you get off of me?"

"Until you say yes," said Spyro

"Fine, just remember you asked for this little brother."

Shun jumped up and they began wrestling. They had a great time just playing around, but it was short lived as Shun pinned Spyro quickly. He also pulled Spyro's arm to try to call uncle.

"Say it," said Shun.

"No way," said Spyro refusing to give up. He tried to get the upper hand but found it quite hard to move.

"Say it."

"Fine, uncle."

Shun immediately let go as he stood triumphed. Sparx was cracking up at the whole thing. Spyro didn't see the humour in this.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"He really messed you up dude," said Sparx still laughing. Spyro just gave him an annoyed look.

_At the pool of visions_

Ignitus and Volteer were sitting by the pool of visions when it suddenly began to glow. Ignitus looked in and a surprised look came across his face.

"What do you see, Ignitus?" asked Volteer

"Go get the children," said Ignitus, "I have found Cyril"

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Man this was a long one. Thanks to Scarlet Ember for the major help in grammar and Bizzleb for the advice on the story. I really hope you all like because now you see the type of training Shun goes through. Also I'm not sure whether or not to add Flame and Ember to the story. You guys let me know in the comment sections. Remember you won't get those two unless you say something. Come back soon for chapter 12. They will set off to rescue Cyril. See you soon.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Well the new chapter is up. Shockingly it took longer than I thought. Especially, since it's a shorter chapter. I guess the holidays can really take someone's time. Any way I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 12

Everyone had gathered around the pool of visions. They were waiting for Ignitus to reveal the location of Cyril. They stared into the pool of visions and to them nothing was there. It illuminated with a beautiful combination of forest green and gold. The pool also released small balls of light into the air like carbonated water. To Ignitus, however, this pool was showing him a complete image; an image of Cyril, his location, and, unfortunately, the enemy.

"What do you see, Ignitus?" asked Volteer.

"I see Cyril," said Ignitus, "he's being held in a place called Tall Plains."

"Well that doesn't sound so bad," stated Sparx "not like Dante's Freezer."

"I assure you, Sparx, it may sound nice but it is very dangerous" said Ignitus.

"And now I'm bummed out."

"Tall Plains have been taken over by the enemy, and have captured the local tribe called the Atlawa."

"Gazuntite"

"Sparx…" said an annoyed Spyro.

"Well I can understand using Dante's Freezer as a second fortress," said Shun, "but what could the enemy possibly need from Tall Plains?"

"They're probably after the many types of ore that is buried within Tall Plains," said Volteer in his normal chattering way, "Tall Plains have an abundance of ores. It has tin, copper, granite, lead, and other types. It was also the Atlawian tribe's job to collect the ores and distribute them to anyone who requested them. They are also master stone cutters. Also…"

"I think they get it, Volteer" interrupted Ignitus.

"Oh, yes, right."

"Volteer is probably right. They need materials in order to make their armor and weaponry. So it would make since to take over the place with the most material deposits in the world, and control the people who collect it. Tomorrow you must go and rescue Cyril, but be careful. These apes aren't your common ones. These apes are more vicious then the other."

"Don't worry Ignitus," said Volteer, "Everything will be fine. I'll be with them the whole way. I will make sure that they complete the task as safe as possible."

"No."

"Why not?"

"For one, I need you here. We still don't know if the enemy will try to reclaim the temple. It would be better if I had you here to back me up. Second, they need to go in without being detected, and, no offense, but you would be seen easily. With their small stature they can slip in unnoticed."

"Why do we have to go in undetected?" asked Spyro.

"As I said before the apes there are more vicious. If you are spotted at any time, they will immediately kill the Atlawian tribe. Also, if Cynder has already collected what she needs, they will kill Cyril too." Everyone was horrified to the news.

Spyro was defiantly starting to feel the pressures of war. The fear of seeing innocent die if he screws up just once was getting under his skin. Just the sheer thought of it made him shiver.

Sparx mainly feared for his own life. He was obviously going with them and he was also the only one without powers. He wanted to help but this was the first time he ever felt like there was nothing he could ever do.

Shun was feeling more anger than fear. For the apes to kill innocent people was upsetting. These people has nothing to do with this war and they will be killed if the enemy feels threaten. Just from the thought of it makes Shun's blood boil.

Ignitus saw the unsettlement in which the news has given them so he decided to say something to help comfort them, but before he could. Something in the pool of visions caught his eye. He looked deeply into the pool, looking into it as if he had dropped something inside. The image was fuzzy but he could still make out some of it.

"What is it master?" asked Shun.

"I see two cages," said Ignitus, "there appears to be something inside those cages." He looked harder. "They appear to be…two…other dragons."

Everyone came closer, fully interested in what else Ignitus.

"They look to be around your age Spyro" continued Ignitus, "maybe a few months over."

Spyro's mood changed from fear to happy in an instant. He was glad to know that Shun wasn't the only young dragon. He was happy that there were other dragons his age.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" he asked.

"No, Spyro," said Ignitus, "I can't see anything else, but it looks like you have another objective. Find and rescue not only Cyril, but those other two dragons as well."

"Yes sir," said Spyro and Shun in unison.

"Good," continued Ignitus, "In the mean time, Spyro, you are to go with Volteer to the library."

"Why?" asked Spyro.

"Well young dragon," said Volteer, "You've recently trained your body. It's time to train your mind. Today we'll be learning a little on history. This, in my opinion, is a very fascinating subject to study. Learning of our ancestor and their accomplishments, learning of the many discoveries of yesteryear, and not to mention…"

"Time, Volteer, time" interrupted Ignitus.

"Right, of course…this way Spyro."

Spyro looked over at Shun and Sparx who were quietly laughing at Spyro.

"How come Shun doesn't have to come?" said Spyro not wanting to do this alone.

"Shun has already had his lessons when he was young" said Ignitus.

"But…"

"Spyro," called Volteer, "Let's go"

Spyro then submitted and turned to follow Volteer to receive his lesson in history. With Sparx closely following but still laugh at Spyro. Just before he was out of ear shot Shun managed to mock him one last time.

"Have fun" he said with a smile on his face. Spyro looked back and gave Shun a look of annoyance as he rounded the corner. Shun continued to laugh, but Ignitus soon put an end to his enjoyment.

"Don't think you get the day off," he said.

"What?" asked Shun.

"You and I are going to spend the rest of the day cleaning. Volteer and I already cleared out some of the bigger objects, but there are still the lower levels to clean."

"But…"

"Don't argue. Let's go"

"Yes sir." Shun gave the same routine Spyro gave. He agreed in a defeated way and followed the elder dragon to where ever they were taking them.

_The Library_

The library was in the upper levels of the temple. It took up what seemed to be sixty percent of the upper levels, and for good reason. The library was enormous. The roof over their heads was much taller than the training room. There where tables and chairs that sat in the middle of the library. The columns formed a circle around the table. What was left of tapestry still hung from the walls to give the room a bit of class. And then there were the book. Hundreds of books lay across the floor, but thousands more put on display in shelves. There were shelves full of books everywhere. There were even many floors inside the library, about seven floors to be exact. Oddly enough, like the bath house, the library was kept in decent order. Except for the books on the floor and the torn tapestry, there was less destruction here than anywhere else in the temple. All the table and chairs were still intact, none of the books were burned or ripped, there was less foliage, and even the doors stayed where they were. It seems that the enemy thought that, like the bath house, this area of the temple was important to try and leave as it is. They probably use the library to gain an upper hand against the dragons.

Volteer had Spyro wait at one of the table as he went to look for a history book to start off with. Volteer was up in the higher floors looking for the book he wanted. Sparx was flying around just looking since he didn't have to have a home schooling lesson. Volteer soon found the book he need and flew down to Spyro. He placed the book in front of him and opened it up to the first chapter.

"Now," he said, "I want you to read the first seven chapters of this book. I will be back soon to see how you are doing. I may even quiz you on what you've learned. Happy reading"

"Wait," called Spyro, "why do I have to have a history lesson. We're at war shouldn't I be learning how to use my powers and how to fight in certain situations?"

"You and Shun truly are brothers. He asked the same, exact thing. So I'm going to tell you what I told him. Learning how to fight is good, but you still need knowledge in your life. There will be no future for you if you don't have an intelligent, sharp mind. Also the battlefield will require you think outside of the box, and without knowledge you can't do that. That is why you are having a history lesson. To help improve your mind that will later benefit you further in your life. Now enough stalling, read."

With that Volteer flew up to the third floor to look through more books. Spyro quickly flipped through the book he was suppose to read and was a little upset.

"Dang," he said.

"What is it?" asked Sparx as he flew over to Spyro.

"I have to read the first seven chapters of this book, but it looks like each chapter is thirty pages long."

Sparx looked over and read the title of the first page.

"Chapter One: Creation…sounds exciting."

"Shut up."

"Hey snap at me all you want, but I'm not the one in school."

"I'm not really in school. It's more like…tutoring."

"Call it what you will." Sparx was starting to fly away from Spyro.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Spyro.

"Where do you think? I'm off to take a nap."

"You're just going to leave me here?"

"Spyro, I don't hear you reading," said Volteer in a serious tone. Spyro then diverted his full attention to the book that lay in front of him.

A few hours had past and Spyro's lesson was over. He managed to read all the chapters and answer the questions Volteer asked correctly. The sun had fully set and the temple was now buzzing with night time activity. With the sound of the nocturnal animals starting to emerge from their homes to begin their times on this earth. Spyro walked into the sleep chambers and collapsed in his usual spot. He was exhausted. He looked to notice Sparx sleeping in that little set up he had.

After a few minutes the next one to enter the sleep chambers was Shun. He walked in a lazy way. His wings were down, his head was slumped, and his eyes were drowsy. He was obviously tired from what Ignitus had him do.

"So what did you do?" ask Spyro.

"Master Ignitus had me clean up the lower levels of the temple. You?" replied Shun.

"I had to read seven chapters of history."

"Well no use in complaining about it now. It's best we get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

Within seconds Shun had fallen under the sandman's spell. Spyro then noticed, before he could fall asleep, Ignitus and Volteer walking into the sleep chamber. Volteer took his place by the door, and Ignitus sat next to Spyro like he normally does. Pretty soon everyone was in a deep slumber. A waiting for what the next day holds for them.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Now I know you were expecting the rescue, but here's what happened. This part was originally part of the rescue chapter. However, it would have been too long of a chapter for me. I knew that if the chapter was too long I wouldn't put that much effort near the end. Good chance I would have split the rescue into two parts. I wanted it to be one chapter. So I created another chapter that shows what they do when they're not in battle. Come back soon for chapter 13, where the rescue will happen, and the price of war is heightened. See you soon.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hey everyone Slapstick here. Like promised. The rescue begins and you will also learn a little more about Shun. Now unfortunately I had to split the rescue. Originally it was going to one long chapter, but that's when I realized how long I was planning to make it. Anyway, that doesn't mean it won't be good. All it means is that the rescue lasts longer. So enjoy.

Chapter 13

The sun had risen above the horizon. It painted the land a beautiful orange, as the nocturnal animals retired back to their homes. It was now time for the daylight animals to enjoy the land. The birds chirped as they flew across the beautiful array of colors that was the morning sun.

The temple was no different. As the sun rose above the mountaintops, the dragons prepared for the day. They had discovered the location of Cyril and were planning to save him as well as two other dragons.

Shun was getting ready to go, stretching out his back and legs. He even flapped his wings quickly to warm them up just in case they needed to make a quick escape.

"Are you guess ready yet?" asked Sparx

"Yeah," replied Shun. He looked over at Spyro and asked if he was ready. Spyro nodded and they were just about to go when Ignitus stopped them.

"Actually," he said, "I need to talk to Spyro alone for a minute. Over here." Ignitus simply walked a few feet away from the other, with Spyro closely following. They were just far enough so that they were out of earshot. "Spyro," said Ignitus with a look of worry on his face, "there is something I need you to do for me."

"What is it?" asked Spyro

"I want you to keep an extra eye on Shun. Like I said before, the apes at Tall Plains are much more ruthless. If Shun gets angry at any point, I need you to calm him down as quickly as possible."

"Why?"

"If he gets too angry he will expose your position to the enemy and you do not want that. His powers link toward his emotions. If you do not calm him down you will regret it."

Spyro was somewhat confused by what Ignitus had said, but he didn't question him. All he knew was that he needed to keep Shun calm. Spyro nodded and walked back over to the others.

"Ready now?" asked Shun again. Spyro nodded and they flew up into the air.

"Finally" said Sparx as he flew off Volteer's head and to the two young dragons.

"Now remember," said Ignitus before they flew off "Don't bring any attention to yourselves. Find Cyril and the other dragons as quietly as you can."

With that, they took off east to Tall Plains. Ignitus watched as their image slowly disappeared. He couldn't help but feel worried. Not only are they going to an extremely hostile territory, Shun's loose cannon emotions could jeopardize the mission. Volteer felt Ignitus' anguish and fear.

"Don't worry, Ignitus," said Volteer trying to comfort his friend, "I'm sure they will be alright. They'll rescue Cyril safely."

"I am not worried about that," replied Ignitus, "It is Shun I'm truly worried about. I am afraid that his emotions could get the better of him. I am sure you remember the last time he got out of control." Volteer tilted his head as he looked back to that day.

"That was a long time ago, Ignitus. Shun is much stronger now. He won't let his emotions control him."

"I wish I could believe that, but Shun can get out of hand at times. I just hope that Spyro knows what to do when the time comes."

An hour had passed since Spyro, Shun, and Sparx left the temple for Tall Plains. They sky was starting to become a little harder to see as more clouds filled the skies. Shun was at point guiding them as they flew through the clouds.

This was a time for them to relax a bit. The beautiful sight of the lands brought a smile to them. The feel of the wind on the face help bring down any fear they might have. Shun had always loved to fly since he was a young dragon. Now he gets to share this experience with his brother. As nice as it was to fly, reality soon made it reappearance.

"How much longer do we need to fly?" asked Spyro

"Not much longer," replied Shun, "Master Ignitus said it wasn't that far away. We should be there in a few minutes."

"Good," said Sparx, "because if I have to fly any further I would pass out."

"Sparx you've been on my head the entire trip" said Spyro in an annoyed voice

"I'm just saying. It's been a long trip."

Without warning, the thickness of the clouds increased. The sun disappeared as their vision became more impaired. The blanket of clouds was so thick, it could be cut with a knife. To fly through such thick clouds was frightening.

Shun flew dropped back a bit to be closer to Spyro. The thick clouds made it near impossible to see in front of their own noses. As they flew deeper into the clouds Sparx noticed something to their right. He pointed out the object. Spyro and Shun looked to see what Sparx was seeing. Their sight was still impaired, but they could still make out the object. In the clouds was a black shadow figure flying in the opposite direction. It had a beautiful, slender form with wings ten times bigger than their own, the sheer sight of it sent shivers through their spines. The shadow then turned its head to reveal glowing red eyes. They burned bright like fire pits of hell itself. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the shadow disappeared into the clouds. It was a frightening experience.

"What was that?" asked Spyro

"You think that was what's-her-name" said Sparx

"I hope not," replied Shun, "If it was then she already collected what she needed from Master Cyril."

They continued flying for a few more minutes when, suddenly, the clouds began to clear up. When they had regained their vision they were amazed by what they saw. It appeared to be a forested area on top of an enormous rock structure that ascended high into the clouds. Outside were cut stones that had special designs around them. There were also smaller rock structures around the main area. The rocks seem to be connected by bridges.

They flew to the forest and landed right in front of a path that leads inside.

"Alright let's go," said Shun, "remember we have to be quiet." Spyro and Sparx nodded as they walked into the forest. The trees stood much taller than they could imagine. Leaves fell as silence surrounded them. It was indeed odd for a forest there should be at least the sounds of the creatures that surly lived there, but there was nothing. No pitter-patter of animals running through the forest, no chirps from the birds...only eerie silence. It's as if everything here had died. Where they too late? Had the enemy killed the tribe as well as Cyril and the other dragons?

As they continued down the path they noticed that the brush was starting to become thicker. After a minute of struggling they soon came out of the bushes and into a clearing. They looked up to see a large stone structure. It had the same markings as the stones outside. It also appears to be, more or less, the entrance to the rest of this forest.

"Whoa," said Sparx in awe.

"Let's go," said Spyro. They all moved in to see that there was a small city made of stone, but it didn't over take the landscape. Trees were cut down to make way but there was no roof. The ground wasn't stone, but simply grass and dirt. Vines wrapped themselves around the stones, and there were small signs of digging in certain areas.

As they walked through the city they spotted their first bit of trouble. On top of a small pillar were two wooded cages. At first they thought it was the two dragons, but after getting a good look they could see that they were two llamas. They wore blue loincloths and brown gantlet. One of them appears to be wearing a gold medallion. At the base and on top of the pillars were, of course, apes. There were three on top, and two at the base. However, these apes looked different. They seemed to have taken on the look of the locals. They wore a blue sash around their body, and blue loincloths around their waists.

Shun darted into the shrubs next to them hoping that they weren't spotted. Spyro and Sparx soon followed.

"Looks like trouble," said Shun

"It sounds like their saying something." said Spyro

"Let's try to get closer…"

"Wait a minute," protested Sparx, "you want to go towards them. Didn't Ignitus tell us not to be spotted?"

"It's not like we're going to attack them, Sparx," retorted Spyro, "We just need to hear what their saying." Soon Spyro and Shun began to crawl through the brush. Try to get closer.

"Dragons" said Sparx reluctantly shaking his head before following them. Soon they were a few feet from the apes. Close enough to hear, and far enough to not be spotted.

"Where are they, Kane?" asked the head ape on top

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dredd." said one of the llamas in the cage named Kane.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about"

"He's not going to tell you anything." said the llama in the other cage.

"Bit your tongue," said Kane

The ape looked over at the other cage. He pulled out his sword and pointed it at the llama.

"Oh really?" said Dredd, "Then maybe you know something."

"I don't know anything," said the other llama, "even if I did I'd sooner die then give that information to scum like you."

"That can be arranged." Dredd immediately lifted his arm to signal a terrifying creature. It had the head and body of an over grown bat. It also had the horns of a demon. It was called a dred wing. On top of it was another ape controlling the movement. The dred wing grabbed the top of the cage with its talons. It lifted the cage high into the air and to the edge of the city. It hung the cage over a great of nothing. Down below was an empty see of clouds. A fall from that height spelled certain death.

"NO!" yelled Kane

"You can stop this, Kane. Just tell me what I need to know." Said Dredd

"Don't tell him anything!" called the llama with bravery in his heart.

"Very well" Dredd then shined his sword to give a signal. The ape then queued the dred wing to release the cage. The llama was now free falling thousands of feet. He soon disappeared into the clouds and to his death.

Spyro and Sparx looked in horror at the sight they just witness. To kill an innocent person over some information just seemed heartless. Then chills of fear were sent throughout their bodies. Shun was experience a different emotion. He has seen his fare share of death so it didn't upset him like Spyro and Sparx. However, the thought of innocent people dying angered him. He was gritting his teeth as rage began to build up inside of him like a bull seeing red. Though Shun was angry he soon calmed himself, not trying to blow their cover.

Dredd then turned back Kane who was outrage by the actions done by the ape.

"You evil, heartless bastard!" he yelled, "He was a kid! There was no reason to kill him!"

"Oh but there was," said Dredd, "You see I need to show you how far I'm willing to go to get what I want, and what I want is that information."

"Forget it."

"Well if you won't talk maybe your tribe will. I wonder how well they can keep a secret with their lives on the line."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh but I would."

"Dredd those are the innocent; women, children, the sick, and elderly. You're actually going to hurt them just to get information that doesn't even matter?"

"Yes I am. You see all of this could have been avoided if you had told me what I needed to know, but you decided to be stubborn. So now, because of it, you not only cost the life of one llama, but the lives of the Atlawian tribe." Dredd then turned and headed away from the Kane, but thought it would be fun to mess with him one last time. He turned his head slightly to look back at Kane. "I just may use two of them as target practice." That set Kane off. He soon was going crazy like a rabid monkey.

"You son of bitch; don't you lay a single hand on them. I swear to you that when I get out of here I will kill you! Do you hear me? Your blood will be spilled by my hands!"

Dredd jumped down the pillar and headed to the camp that they kept the rest of the tribe. He left the grunt apes to look after the enraged Kane. Shun, Spyro, and Sparx had witnessed the whole conversation from a far. The whole thing sickened Spyro as he felt the pressures of war take its toll on him.

"What kind of information was that Dredd guy talking about?" asked Sparx

"I don't know," said Shun, "but it doesn't matter we need to find the others and get out of here."

"You can't be serious?" protested Spyro, "We need to help him"

"Why did I have a fell you were going to say that?" said Sparx

"This matter isn't our concern." argued Shun

"Yeah what he said," said Sparx

"Shun my destiny is to save the world from evil, and that means helping others," said Spyro, "Besides, we really don't know where to find Cyril or the other two dragons. He might know where to find them."

Shun looked at him and didn't say anything. He knew Spyro was right. They need to find the others as quickly as possible, but they can't do wondering around this maze called Tall Plains. Maybe that llama can help after all.

"Fine." said Shun

"Wait a minute," said Sparx, "What do you mean fine?"

"He's right, Sparx. We're going to need help finding Cyril and the others. If anyone might know it's the people who live here."

"Well I don't know about you but I think this is a stupid risk."

"You know you don't have to come, Sparx," said Spyro with a smirk on his face, "you can wait here by yourself…all alone."

"W-w-well…I think I will come along…you know to keep you guys from getting hurt."

"Sure Sparx."

"Alright, let's go." instructed Shun. They made their way around the two apes under the pillars ready to attack. "Ok we need to take these two out quietly. So, Spyro, when you grab one cover his mouth immediately. We don't want him to calling for help." Spyro nodded. The slowly crept up on the unsuspecting apes. Spyro took the one on the left and Shun on the right. They then grabbed the apes and forced them to the ground, covering their mouths in the process. Shun quickly dug his claws into his ape. He soon stopped struggling and went limp. No life, no warmth, and no soul. Everything in him was gone. Shun looked over at Spyro to see if he was done.

Spyro was had his claw up but he didn't finish the job. He looked into the eyes of the ape. The look of fear and sadness was too much for Spyro bare. The ape shook as the death was right on top of him. Tears fell from the eyes of the enemy as he feared for his life. He couldn't end a life like this. It was different when he used his powers to kill. He didn't look into eyes of the enemies. He put his arm down and was prepared to let him go. Before he could move his other arm from the ape's mouth, Shun plunged his tail blade into the ape. Within seconds the ape was gone. Spyro let go of the ape's mouth and looked at him with shame and sadness.

"Are you ok?" asked a worried Sparx

"I'm fine." replied Spyro

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Spyro looked over at Shun who had a serious face. Spyro quickly looked away.

"I'm sorry." said Spyro apologetically

"It's ok." said Shun comforting Spyro, "To see the terror in one's eyes before you make the final blow. I know it all too well. A trick I learn was to make attack the second they hit the ground. It will be easier for you that way."

"I don't know if I can just end a life like that."

"Once again, Spyro, we are at war. We'll be going on stealth missions like this more often. It's just another thing you'll have to try to get use too."

"Ok…I'll try."

"Good…now we still have to two at the top. You ready?" Spyro nodded.

"Great more death…this day couldn't possible get any better." said Sparx

Shun and Spyro jumped up into the air and flew to the top of the pillar. Shun quickly attacked the ape closest to the ledge, killing him instantly. Spyro flew to the ground and run up towards the ape by the cage. He ducked his head and hit the ape in the stomach. Stumbled and slammed into the cage breaking it.

Kane took this chance and grabbed a piece of broken wood from the cage. The ape was preparing to fight when Kane grabbed him, and plunged the broken piece of wood into his neck. The ape struggled for air as his blood dripped from his neck. Soon he stopped moving and went limp. Kane released the body and stepped out of the cage. He wiped the blood off the wood and looked over at the two dragons.

"Who the hell are you and what are you here?" he asked

"You know a thank you would be a more polite thing to say." said Sparx

"Shh!" said Spyro, "My name is Spyro. These are my brothers Shun and Sparx"

"The names Kane and I hate to admit it I do indeed owe you my thanks. Now get out."

"What?" asked Shun puzzled

"This is our land and we'll deal with the problem our way. Now leave."

"But we thought you could help us find…" spoke Spyro before being interrupted.

"Well you thought wrong. If you're not here to help us then I won't help you. Now get out of here." With that, he darted off into the forest to try and save his tribe.

"Well that was a giant waste of time!" said Sparx. Shun sighed

"Let's go we got a lot of ground to cover." he said. They then continued their search for Cyril and the two other dragons.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Well there's the first part of the rescue. I hope you all enjoyed it, and the dark atmosphere it has but that's war for you. Again, sorry I had to split it up. Big thanks to TMHB77 for the help. You rock. Come back soon for chapter 14. See you soon.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hey guys slaps here again bringing you another chapter. I'm sorry it took so long. Don't know what happened. Any way let's get started with the new chapter. Now with more action, enjoy.

Chapter 14

Spyro, Shun, and Sparx were following a path that led away from the small city. They had just rescued one of the natives from the apes, and were hoping to get some answers. Instead, they were turned away and left to only guess. It was something that they had hoped to just let go. Unfortunately, Sparx had other plans.

"Let's save him, he says," said Sparx, "He could help us find our friends, he says. Oh yeah we helped him alright. We nearly blow our cover and got ourselves killed and for what? Just for him to thank us, and then tell us to leave. Good leadership skills there, Spyro. Maybe next time you'll just have us walk right up to the enemy and…"

"Sparx, shut up!" interrupted Spyro

"Thank you." said Shun

"I'm just saying," continued Sparx, "that was totally pointless. The guy proved to be completely useless."

"Even if he didn't help us, it was the right thing to do," argued Spyro, "if we didn't help they would have probably killed him."

"Yeah I guess so."

They continued searching through the forest, checking every square inch of the area. It was like trying to find a needle in a hay stack. Everything seemed to be the same. Every rock, tree, and bush just looked identical. Eventually, they started to walk in complete circles. They kept returning to the same path over and over again without even realizing it. They continued to walk in circles for an hour.

Soon their search was interrupted by Spyro.

"Hey guys, do you mind if we stop for a moment?" he asked

"What, why?" question Shun

"Let's just say nature calls." Shun looked at him confused for a minute. When he saw Spyro squirm a little he finally figured out what Spyro was talking about.

"Now…you have to go now?" Spyro nodded, "Why didn't you go before we left?"

"I didn't have to go then."

"What's the big deal?" asked Sparx, "Just let him go."

"Fine," Shun agreed, "Let's just get off the path."

They then jumped into the bushes to their right. When they came out they discovered a small clearing. It was a good place to hide. The grass had grown a moderately tall height, the brush kept them hidden, and the fragrant scent of flowers filled the air. Spyro ran to other side, but before he could continue he looked over to see Shun and Sparx were looking at him.

"What's the hold up?" asked Shun, "Hurry up."

"I can't go with you watching." said Spyro, "Turn around!"

"You can't be serious?"

"Just do it."

Shun rolled his eyes and turned his back as well as Sparx.

"Is he always like this?" asked Shun

"Oh yeah," said Sparx, "ever since he was little he was always nervous when it came to his…um…'business'."

"Hey guys." called Spyro

"We're not looking." called Sparx

"No not that. I think I found where we need to go next."

Shun and Sparx made their way towards where Spyro was. They made their way through the grass and came to another clearing near the edge of the plains. To the left of them was a small cliff that hung about twenty feet up with a waterfall running down it. To the right was the end of Tall Plains as the stream cuts straight through the clearing and off the edge. On the other side of the stream was a cave that seems to lead deeper into the forest.

"Finally." said Shun, relieved of not only finding another path but finding some water. He walked over to the stream and drank for a few seconds. Spyro soon followed. Sparx, on the other hand, had his attention on something else.

"Hey guys," he said, "you might want to look up."

Spyro and Shun stopped drinking and looked up by the waterfall. There, standing on the edge, was Kane. He was cornered by what appear to be rock creatures made from the same cut stones that the Atlawa use. There were four apes standing in front of them.

"I don't know how you escaped," said one of the apes, "but this time you won't be so lucky." The ape snapped his fingers and the rock creatures started to walk forward. Kane took a few steps back not aware of the ledge behind him.

"KANE!" called Spyro hoping to get his attention before he fell, but to no avail. Kane looked back but he had already lost his footing to the slippery rocks and plummeted down to the waters below. When he landed he hit his head on a rock that stood out of the water and was knocked unconscious. He began to float down the stream, heading towards the edge of Tall Plains.

"Yeah I know the guys a jerk but you guys have to do something." said Sparx.

Shun and Spyro immediately ran into the water and started to pull Kane. When they crawled out Spyro was starting to shiver. It may be the fact that he's wet in a high altitude, but his body's temperature began to drop. Spyro shook off the water from his body hoping to warm up, but to no avail. Even with the water off his body was still cold.

"Spyro…you ok buddy?" asked Sparx noticing Spyro's constant shivering.

"J-j-just c-c-cold f-f-from the water" stuttered Spyro as his shivering continued.

"Well, well, well," said one of the apes that came down from the cliff top. They had sent the rock creatures to another part of Tall Plains. They thought that this would be nothing at all. Everyone's attention was soon turned from Spyro, and was now turned towards the enemy. "I knew Kane couldn't have gotten out of that cage by himself. I'm sure the boss would love to learn of this." The apes then started to walk towards them.

Shun looked over at Spyro and saw he was in no condition to fight at the moment. So he got in a stance, ready to fight off the enemy.

"Stay away," said Spyro hoping that he could be of some use at the moment. The apes didn't listen. They crept even closer as they pulled out their daggers. Ready to grab the dragons and bring them back to their leader. Shun readied himself as he was prepared to fight. Two charged swinging their daggers. Shun ducked and attacked the two apes with a simple head butt. They staggered back hold their stomachs. As they recovered Shun jumped into the air. He fired a dark blast. The two apes dodged the attack, and through the smoke they jumped up to Shun. Before he could react they both punched him in the stomach. Shun fell to the ground but was able to gain his composure and land on his feet. He looked up to see that their daggers had been thrown at him! Shun jumped back as they pierced the ground. The apes landed on the ground next to their weapons. They pulled them out of the ground and charged Shun like a couple of ragging bulls. One ape swung the dagger first. Shun turned around and blocked it with his tail blade. At that instance, Shun hit the ape in the face with his back foot, knocking the ape on the ground. When Shun had his feet on the ground the other ape lunged forward. Shun turned and caught the blade with his teeth; making sure to not have the blade cut his mouth. With a firm grip, Shun jerked his head flipping the ape over onto his back. Shun let go of the dagger and lifted his arm up, ready to finish off the enemy. However, before he could something else caught his attention.

"Shun!" called Sparx. Shun looked over and saw the two other apes were trying to grab Spyro. Still cold he tried his best to get them off. He managed to separate from the attacker, but was still too cold to move any further. Ignoring the other apes, he ran to Spyro's aid. Before the apes got any closer, Shun jumped in front of them and whipped his tail around. The two apes jumped back, one holding his arm as blood covered his hand.

"Are you alright?" asked Shun

"Yeah I'm fine," replied Spyro. Shun looked at the two apes in front of him. He started to walk over to them. He jumped over the stream and continued walking.

"Shun look out!" called Sparx. Shun didn't notice as the other two apes as came crashing down on top of Shun. As he lay down on the ground, the two apes on top began to continuously punching him. Spyro and Sparx watched in horror as Shun was being beaten by the enemy. When Shun no longer put up a fight they got off of him. Shun was in pain as he cough up blood. The apes then turned their attention towards Spyro. Shun wasn't going anywhere so Spyro was their next target. Once they crossed the stream it was only a matter of time before they grabbed him.

"_I feel so helpless,"_ thought Spyro,_ "here I am shivering from sheer cold that came out of nowhere. While Shun has to not only fight the enemy, but protect me at the same time. This isn't the first time that has happened either. I would be able to fight back but most of the time Shun was there to bail me out. Well no more. I'm going to get stronger. From here on out, Shun won't have to pull my weight anymore." _He finally decided if he couldn't move he could use one of his elemental attacks. He opened his mouth and was hoping to shoot fire, but instead something completely different came out. It was a combination of blue and white that came out in a mist like form, but was condensed enough to harm targets further away. When the attack hit the enemy they felt unbelievable cold surge through their bodies. The feel of tiny needles running through their blood was unbearable. The feeling of their bodies starting to freeze sold, and feeling their hearts slowly stopping was terrifying. Pretty soon the apes were completely frozen in their places; dead from the cold that surrounded them. Sparx looked at Spyro completely dumbfounded.

"Spyro you are just getting weirder and weirder by the second." commented Sparx

"No argument there," said Spyro in agreement, "good news is I'm not cold anymore." Spyro looked over at Shun and saw that he wasn't moving. Spyro ran to his brother's aid, "Shun are you ok?" he asked. Shun didn't say anything. He simply moaned from the pain and coughed up some more blood. "Sparx look for a red crystal." They looked around the area trying to find some red crystal, hoping that the apes haven't mined them all up. Sparx finally looked behind a bush near the edge of Tall Plains. Hiding behind it were some red crystals.

"Hey Spyro over here!" called Sparx. Spyro rushed over, broke off a piece, and quickly returned to Shun.

"Here I found a red crystal, smash it." said Spyro as he handed Shun the crystal

"You found it?" said Sparx angrily as Spyro took credit

"Not now Sparx." Said Spyro annoyed

"Well…"

Shun had smashed the crystal and all the pain had disappeared. The cuts and bruises were gone, and he was feeling much better.

"Thanks." said Shun with a smile

"No problem."

"Hey guys," said Sparx, "llama boy is gone."

Shun and Spyro looked back and saw that Kane wasn't there anymore.

"He must have come to and took off during the fight." said Spyro

"Come on we could probably still catch him." said Shun

They soon ran into the cave on the other side of the stream. When they emerged they were in a completely new area. There was a rock structure that stood tall into the trees. Sharp, pointy logs stuck out of the structure for protection. On top was what appears to be some sort of cannon that fired an unknown type of ammunition. There were also smaller structures along the edges. On top of one of those structures was Kane. He had been surrounded by three other apes. With no other choice, he was ready to fight. The apes pulled out their daggers and prepared themselves. Kane was only armed with his bamboo stick. One ape lunged forward. Kane lifted the bamboo stick and the dagger went inside of the bamboo. Another ape attacked from the side while Kane was distracted, but he saw it coming. So Kane pulled the ape he was fighting to the side of him, taking the dagger in the back. After the dagger was pulled out that same ape tries to stab him again. Kane dropped the bamboo stick and quickly dodged to the side. Grabbing the apes arm and pulling it back, causing the enemy to fall to the ground. Kane took the dagger and plunged it into the ape. The blood dripped from the dagger as it was pulled out. Kane looked at the last remaining ape. Scared, it dropped the dagger and tried to escape. Kane took the dagger he was holding and threw it at the ape. It made contact with the enemy as it was in the air. Kane picked up the other dagger and the bamboo stick.

However, he didn't notice the ape climbing into the cannon. The ape aimed the cannon directly at Kane ready to shoot. Shun, on the other hand, saw the ape and quickly responded. He flew up to Kane and pushed him out of the way right as the cannon was fired. It barely missed them as it plunged deep into the tree behind them.

"Spyro now!" ordered Shun. Spyro flew up to the level of the cannon, tilted his head back, and fired an electric strike at the ape. It flopped around from the electrical current running through its body as it finally lay motionless on the ground. Spyro flew back over to Kane and Shun.

"You again?" said Kane as he got up from the ground, "I thought I told you to leave!"

"Oh you're welcome," said Sparx sarcastically, "It's not like we risked our lives for you or anything. It's fine."

"Look here mosquito." said Kane

"Whoa, whoa pal watch who you're calling a mosquito."

"Look I could have handled them just fine without your help!"

"Really" said Sparx "You see that over there." Kane looked to where Sparx was pointed to. "That tree could have been you. If Shun hadn't got to you in time you'd be a llama on a stick."

"Sparx enough." said Spyro

"I hate to admit it," said Kane, "but the gnat is right."

"Call me something else I dare you." said Sparx

"I must at least thank you for saving me."

"Again…"

"Sparx…" said Spyro, "any way you're welcome Kane. We were hoping that you could still help us find our friend?"

"I'm sorry," said Kane, "but I must stick by what I said before. If you have no intention of helping my people, than you're on your own."

"Geez what a jerk." said Sparx

Kane was about to leave when Shun decided to say something

"Fine we'll help you." he said

"What?" said Sparx, "weren't you the one who said to keep a low profile?"

"We're not going to find them just randomly looking around. We need someone who knows this place." He then turned to Kane, "We can't help you without our friends. If you help us we will save your tribe."

"How can I be sure that you won't just leave after you get your friends?" asked Kane

"You can't…" said Shun, "You'll just have to trust us."

Kane thought for a moment before answering.

"I'm sorry, but that's too big of a risk to take."

He began to turn and leave

"Wait," said Shun, "If you want to talk about risks then think about the risk your taking by refusing this offer. The apes still don't know we're here and we've taken out a lot of their friends along the way. So when they discover that you're missing, they'll search the forest looking for you. They may even threaten your tribesman to get information out of them. Do you really want to take **that** risk?"

Kane thought about it and knew he was right. This is his chance to save his tribe.

"I have your word that won't leave?" he asked

"You have our word."

"Very well I'll help you. I'll take you to the younger ones first. They're the closest. Follow me."

Kane was starting to make his way north from where they were.

"Nice job." said Spyro.

"Thanks." said Shun, "Turns out you can learn something from master Volteer."

"You learned something from him?" asked Sparx, "I don't see how you can. I can't understand a thing when he speaks."

"Well Sparx some are just slower than others."

Spyro started to snicker at that remark

"Hey!"

"Are you coming or not?" called an impatient Kane. Spyro, Shun, and Sparx soon made their way to Kane. They began to follow him into another part of the woods. Now that they had a guide they were hoping that things will be much easier. However, things are about to get much more difficult than they can possibly imagine.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Big thanks to TMHB77 for editing. Finally, after searching for so long they can now rescue their friends. I hope you guys enjoyed the fight scenes. Took me awhile get it right. I promise the next chapter won't take me that long again. It should be up later this week or next week. Until then see you soon.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Hey everyone slaps is back. Well, another day another chapter. Spring break was a lot of fun, but now it's time to get back to business. We're nearing the end of the Cyril rescue. I didn't think this rescue would last this long. This chapter will be the next to last in the Cyril rescue, but I think you're going to find this interesting. Enjoy!

Chapter 15

Spyro, Shun, and Sparx have been following Kane for thirty minutes now. Every step brought them closer to their goal as Kane was leading them to the location of two other dragons. Along the way they would silently take out any apes that got in their way. They soon came upon a small cliff side.

"Up here," said Kane. He began to climb up the face slowly. Grabbing rocks with his hands for balance, and standing on another rock to push up. When he finally reached the top, he looked down to see that they weren't below him. He looked around worried that they had been captured. When he turned around he saw them standing right behind him. He was surprised by their sudden appearance and jumped back. "How did you get up here so fast"?

"We can fly dude." said Sparx.

"Oh yeah," he cleared his throat hoping to take away the embarrassing moment, "Any way, your friends are just up this hill."

As they walked up the hill they were climbing seemed to be getting steeper. The landscape became more difficult to climb. The dirt was loose from the slant of the hill, and rocks slid under their feet. After a tough climb, they made it to the top. To the left of them was the edge. It was tall enough that they couldn't easily be spotted. Down below the edge was a dangerous area. The location was a rather large clearing that was full of houses made of stone, mud, and leaves. There were plenty for about fifty Atlawian tribesmen, but that wasn't the dangerous part. The danger came from all the apes that occupied the area. Some were just sitting around talking or gambling. Archers stood around the borders ready to kill anything that moves. Lucky they didn't think to check the hill top they were on. Tents were set up everywhere. One tent could hold ten apes, but the houses weren't wasted. The apes also took refuge inside of them. The area was in shambles, bones littered the ground from either the meat they ate or from the innocent llama's they've killed. Holes had been dug in and around for fire pits scattered throughout the area. Some filled with ashes and some still burning. It was a terrible sight.

They poked their heads back and looked over at Kane.

"Your friends are on the other side of that mess," said Kane, "I saw them being carried off there before I was separated from my tribe."

"So how are we going to find them with all those apes everywhere?" asked Spyro.

"WE'RE not looking for anyone," said Kane, "YOU'RE going to stay here while I look for them. I know the terrain better, and with you tagging along, not only will I be slowed down, I'll be captured too. When I find your friends I'll come back."

Before they could say anything else, Kane ran off into the forest to look for the two young dragons. Left alone they were forced to sit and wait for Kane to return, hopefully with the other dragons. Not wanting to be discovered they kept quiet as they waited. You can only guess how hard that is for Sparx.

"Man," he said, "How long will he be gone? It's been like five hours."

"He's only been gone for two minutes" said Spyro.

"Still," Sparx looked over at Shun. He saw that Shun's head was down and his eyes were closed. "Is he…" Sparx flew over to him. When he got closer he noticed that Shun was taking a nap. "How can he sleep at a time like this? Hey Shun…" Sparx was tapping him on the head trying to wake him up.

"Sparx that's really annoying," said Shun as he woke. He looked at Sparx with one opened.

"I don't see how you can sleep with everything that's going on right now."

"It's because I'm use to it. Now if you'll excuse me…" Shun closed his eyes again.

"Hey!" Sparx threw a small pebble at Shun's head, "we need you awake. What if we get attacked? What if we're captured? Or…" as Sparx continued his little rant he flew closer to Shun's left side. When he got close enough Shun lifted his left wing and flapped down, causing a gust of wind to blow Sparx into the bushes away from the edge. Spyro simply laughed at his brother's misfortunes. He looked over and saw that Shun was stretching.

"Hey Shun." he said.

"Yeah what's up?" said Shun in a sort of groggy voice.

"You think you can teach me some of those moves you know."

"Teach you?" Shun looked a little confused.

"Yeah, the way you fought back was so cool. The way you blocked that dagger with your tail blade was awesome. You were all like…" Spyro started to playfully imitate Shun's battle moves. He whipped his tail like a toy; he jumped up childishly, and stood on his hind legs with his back turned towards Shun. Spyro then lost his footing and fell on his back. He looked up and was lying under Shun.

"Nice one Spyro," said Sparx as he finally crawled out of the bushes. "You should join the circus with that act."

"Ha ha, very funny." said Spyro getting up.

"I thought it was."

"So can you teach me?"

"Yeah I guess," said Shun, "We'll practice when we get back to the temple."

"Awesome."

"Alright line them up," the voice came from the clearing. Shun, Spyro, and Sparx looked over the edge to see what was going on, their bodies close to the ground.

Out of nowhere, the Atlawian tribe came out. There were quite a few of them. Males, females, and children were forced from where they were being kept and into the center of the clearing. Out of fear, they complied with the orders that they were given. As they waited for what's to become of them, soon Dredd arrived.

"They're all gathered sir," said one of the apes.

"Very good," replied Dredd with a menacing look on his face.

He approached the fearing tribe. Mothers were holding their young hoping to protect them; the old struggled to stay calm, the males sat at the front to protect everyone else, and children wept as tears flowed down their faces. They were all completely terrified and Dredd loved every second of it. He looked upon the tribe as no one looked him in the eyes. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Alright listen up," he said with a booming voice that made the children shiver. "You all know why we're here."

"To rape our land of its mining deposits?" said one of the llama elders.

"Exactly," said Dredd with another evil, yet comforting smile, "but we have a small problem. It seems that we have mined almost all the deposits in the ground."

"Good," said the elder, "then you can leave us in peace."

"If only it were that easy," said Dredd, "we've gathered Intel on you llamas before coming here. We know about your importing and exporting, and we also know something else. That you llamas always put a little of those mining deposits away for yourselves, or in case of emergencies. That is what we want. So, just tell us where the reserved deposits are and everything will be ok."

No one spoke; they stayed quiet, afraid that if they tell him then he would have his soldiers kill them.

"No one wishes to speak?" asked Dredd, "Very well, but remember you brought this upon yourselves." He point to the elder that had been giving him lip. Two other apes grabbed him and brought him over to Dredd. He turned the llama around to face the rest and pulled out a dagger. "Now maybe you're willing to cooperate with a life on the line. So tell me where the reserved mining deposits are." No one said anything. They all looked in fear as they followed the directions of the elder. While he stood there, saying his goodbyes, he shook his head no to signal everyone not to say a word. Dredd noticed this. "Are you afraid of death old one?"

"Terrified," he replied, "but I'd like to die with honor and know I helped the cause."

"As you wish." Dredd didn't hesitate. He turned the elder around and plunged the dagger into his stomach. The elder let out a cry that sounded like blood filling up his throat. Dredd released the elder and let him drop to the ground.

Shun, Spyro, and Sparx's eyes grew wide. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"I can't look at this," said Sparx as he turned away.

Spyro's expression went from shocked to sadden. He wanted to cry but Shun and Ignitus' words were running through his head. He knew that if he truly wanted to survive this war, he needed to be strong. So he held back the tears. He looked over at Shun to see if he was ok, but he was far from it. Shun bore his teeth in pure anger. Growls escaped his throat as if he was a mad animal.

"Shun…" said Spyro trying to get his attention. Shun looked over at Spyro. He saw that Spyro was worried and a little bit frightened. So he started to calm down a bit.

"I'm fine," he said reassuring his brother. They soon turned their attention back to the scene down below. They wished they could do something, but interfering could make it worse on everyone.

"Grab that one," said Dredd pointing to a female.

Three apes walked over to her and started to pull. The husband ran over and tried to save his wife. He struggled to pull her away from the apes. Dredd didn't approve of this. He looked over at one of the archers and gave a signal. The archer pulled the arrow back, aimed, and shot. As quickly as the arrow left the string, the male had fallen to the ground with the arrow in his back. The female cried out to her mate. He didn't move. She was then dragged to Dredd. He wiped the blood off the dagger from the elder and held it at the female's throat.

"Do you see how complicated this is becoming," he said, "Two of your kin are dead. All this could have been averted if you would have cooperated. No more blood has to be spilled. Just tell me where the reserves are and you will all be safe." Silence, as no one spoke, but God knows they wanted to. "Very well." Without hesitation he finished off another life, a female life. People turned from the scene as the female no longer drew breath.

Spyro couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears began to flow from his eyes. Saddened by the evils the llamas had to suffer. He knew he had to be strong but this was too much. He wiped away the tears and turned back to the scene. He was sort of afraid to look over at Shun again, and he knew Sparx had turned away from what was going on. For good reason too, what came next was both shocking and disturbing.

"I see we'll have to take things up much higher in order to get you to talk," said Dredd, scrubbing the blood off the dagger. "Grab a child," within seconds a child was being torn away from his mother. There were tears of fear and sadness as he was dragged to Dredd. To show some sympathy, Dredd bent down to the child. "Hello there little one…what's your name?" He spoke in a chilling voice that was both soothing and frightening.

"Michael" the child spoke.

"Michael…that's a nice name for a young one like yourself," for a moment Dredd appeared to have a soul. "Well Michael let me ask you something. Are you afraid of me?" The child nodded. "Why?"

"Because you're the boogeyman" said Michael with an innocent tone.

"I'm the boogeyman?"

"I was told that the boogeyman hurts people and you're hurting my family."

"Well your family has important information that I need. I've already told them that if they give me the information I promise not to harm any of you. However, they don't want to do that. I think that's a fair deal don't you?" Michael nodded. "You see that," said Dredd as he stood up, "even a child can see a great deal. I suggest you listen to the child. Tell me where the deposits are." No one spoke. Dredd grew impatient. He grabbed the child and held the knife to him. "You're really going to make me do it aren't you?" Still silence. "Fine…Michael I'm sorry but your family caused this." He pulled back the dagger ready to take the child's life. Michael closed his eyes ready for his demise.

"Wait!" yelled one of the llamas. This caused Dredd to stop. "Please don't, I know where the deposits are."

"Where?" ask Dredd.

"South from here, there's a small entrance that leads to a rather large cave. Next to the entrance is a blood red bolder. We keep the deposits there."

"Now was that so hard?" Dredd let the little one go. Michael immediately ran over to his mother. "If you would have told me right from the beginning, those llamas over there," he then looked over to the three bodies that were laid next to each other. "They would still be alive." He then put the dagger away. "I need a small group. The rest of you stays here and watches them." Dredd then left with about ten other apes, three of them archers, and went to find the rest of the deposits.

Spyro gave a sigh of relief knowing the child wasn't dead. It was indeed hard for him to watch and not do anything. As Spyro started to collect himself he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked to see that it was Sparx, but something was different. He looked scared, petrified even. Spyro looked where Sparx was looking and understood.

Shun was the reason Sparx was scared. Shun was in a rage. His teeth were borne, his claws dug into the ground, and his eyes were dilated. He began to growl like a crazed beast ready to break out of its cage. Spyro then noticed something else. Underneath Shun, his shadow began to rise up from the ground and cover Shun's body; as if hell was trying to posses him. Spyro could feel the energy circling Shun. The feeling of sadness, anger, and revenge filled the air making it almost unbearable. The black shadows began to overtake Shun's body, cover any white he had. The shadows also began to affect his left eye as it turned into a copper gold. His pupil became what appears to be a black star.

Spyro sat there motionless with fear, but soon something brought him back. He suddenly remembered what Ignitus said.

_"If he gets too angry he will expose your position to the enemy and you do not want that. His powers link toward his emotions. If you do not calm him down you will regret it."_

"_This must be what Ignitus was talking about,"_ thought Spyro. He knew he had to calm Shun down. "Shun?" he asked. Shun quickly looked at him with hate filled eyes. Obviously they weren't for Spyro, but it was still a frightening sight. So frightening that Sparx flew behind Spyro for protection. "Shun you have to calm down. We can't risk being seen remember. If we are then it could turn out worse for the tribe, as well for our friends."

"Not to mention for us." said Sparx.

"Hush," said Spyro, "you have to calm down."

To Spyro's surprise he actually got through to Shun. The black that was covering his body was now going away. All that was left was the original black that was there before. His eye returned back to its original green. Even though he was much calmer he still had a face of anger and now fear.

"Is it over?" asked Sparx coming out from hiding behind Spyro.

"Yeah…you can come out…" said Shun, "I'm sorry about that."

"Its alright." said Spyro.

"I can't believe what's been going on here."

"Well believe it," They looked behind them and saw Kane had returned. "This is what my people are subjected to. Not a day goes by that we don't fear for our lives. That's why we need your help."

"Well don't worry," reassured Spyro, "once we get our friends, I promise, we will help rescue your people."

"That reminds me," said Sparx, "where are the other dragons?"

"They are definitely on the other side of the clearing, but they were too heavily guarded so I couldn't get to them."

"Oh that's just perfect."

"There has to some way to get them out," said Spyro.

Everyone started to think of ways to save them. Shun then walked to edge and spotted something that could help. By a couple of tents were some barrels that appear to have alcohol in them. It wasn't that guarded, and they were laid next to some bushes so it was perfect.

"Spyro come here," called Shun, "you see those barrels over there?"

"Yeah," said Spyro.

I'm pretty sure there's alcohol in them."

"What makes you so sure?" asked Sparx.

"Because it has xxx on the side," said Shun.

"Well, look at Mr. Smarty-pants here."

"Any way," continued Shun as he looked back towards Spyro, "you, Kane, and Sparx go down to the barrels and light it. Once you do get out of there as quickly as possible. "

"And what's Mr. Smarty-pants going to be doing?" asked Sparx.

"When the barrels are lit there's going to be an explosion. It will get everyone's attention long enough for me to get the other two dragon's out."

"That seems like a good plan," said Kane, "let me show you where they are." He pointed to the north side of the encampment, behind a couple of tents.

"Ok got it," said Shun, "give me some time before you light it."

"Got it" said Spyro. With that they separated. Shun headed to the dragons. Spyro, Sparx, and Kane made their way to the barrels.

There was plenty of cover as they made their way towards the barrels. When they finally arrived Kane got an idea. He looked around as he grabbed vines from trees, each one longer than the next. He finally found one that was long enough.

"Llama boy, what are you doing?" asked Sparx.

"Don't call me that," said Kane annoyed, "I'm making a fuse. This will give us enough time to sneak away before the barrels blow."

Kane snuck over to the barrels and dipped the vine into the alcohol. When he pulled it out he kept one end inside the barrel. He brought the rest of the vine over to the bushes where Spyro and Sparx were. When he put the vine down Spyro and Sparx covered their nose. The stench of alcohol was very strong, maybe a little too strong.

"Light it quick before they smell it," said Kane. Spyro blew a small flame on the tip of the alcohol drenched vine. They then made their way back to the rendezvous point as the fire began to follow the vine to the barrels.

Shun was slowly making his way to the cages; using the bushes, grass, and shadows as cover. When he finally reached the cages he ducked down to see that two apes stood in at the ready in front of the two cages. He took a look at the cages and saw they were completely made of metal so it was rather difficult to break out of. Inside the cages were the two dragons Ignitus said. In the left cage was a male dragon. He was an inch or two shorter than Shun, and a couple months younger. He was mainly red with yellow underbelly, crest, wings, horns, and tail blade. The weird thing was he looked a lot like Spyro. However, his horns are smaller and his crest was much bigger. He looked over to the right and saw a female dragon. She was a few inches shorter as well, and, like the other one, she was a few months younger. Her body was mainly pink. Here horns, which curved to the side, wings, and underbelly, were more of a pale yellow. Here crest and tail blade, shaped like a heart, was more of a purple color. Around her neck was a heart shaped necklace. There was a red jewel surrounded by gold held by a gold collar looking strap.

After getting a good look at the two dragons he waited for the distraction to start. He didn't wait long. In the distance was a towering inferno that filled the air. The male dragon heard the explosion and stood in his cage to see the fire. As predicted, the enemy made their way to the explosion except for the two apes that stood guard by the cage. However, it wasn't something he couldn't handle. When the coast was clear he shot a dark blast at the ape on the right. He fell instantly. Before the other ape could react, Shun plunged his fangs into its neck. When Shun stood he turned to the male dragon.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Shun," he replied, "I've come to get you out of here."

"Thank you so much. My name is Flame by the way."

"It's nice to meet you Flame."

Shun looked at the lock and saw that it was in rather poor condition, lucky for him. Using his tail blade, he swiped at the lock and was broken easily. Shun opened the cage and Flame jumped out. He then turned towards the other cage and swiped at the lock. It broke of easily as well. When Shun opened the cage he noticed that the female was sleeping. He jumped in and tried to wake her.

"Miss," he said shaking her, "Miss."

The female slowly opened her eyes and looked up. Everything was a bit blurry. She squinted to get a better look. When her eyes cleared up she was surprised to see Shun, but in a different way. He stood over her, looking at her with a concerned face. His chest appeared strong to her. His eyes were soft as he looked at her, and the sun shined perfectly on him as if he was an angel. She looked at him, dumbfounded.

"Miss, are you ok?" Shun asked.

"I am now," she replied with a romantic smile.

"Ember, you ok?" asked Flame from outside the cage.

"So Ember's your name," said Shun, "well can you stand, Miss. Ember?"

"It's just Ember," she replied, "and yes I can."

At first she struggle but pretty soon she was on her feet.

"Come on you guys," said Flame, "I think I hear them coming back."

They jumped into the bushes and made their way to the rendezvous point. When they arrived Spyro, Kane, and Sparx were there wait.

"There you guys are," said Sparx, "What took you so long? We've been waiting for hours."

"Again, Sparx, he's only been gone for two minutes," said Spyro.

"Any way," started Shun, "Ember, Flame, this is Kane, Sparx, and my brother Spyro. Guys, meet Ember and Flame."

"Nice to meet you two," said Kane bowing his head slightly.

"Yeah what he said," said Sparx.

"Sparx…" said Spyro annoyed.

"Nice to meet you all as well," said Ember, "I'd want to thank you for helping us."

"It was no problem," said Sparx taking the glory and flexing his arms, "all in a day's work."

"I'd also like to thank my hero properly," said Ember, "but unfortunately I don't know his name."

"Oh I'm sorry," he replied, "my name is Shun."

"Well, Shun," Ember walked closer to him, "here is a token of my gratitude." She got closer to his cheek. She moved her head in and gave him a lick. Shun's eyes widened as he started to blush.

"Um…i-i-it was n-n-nothing," he said rubbing the back of his head.

Sparx saw this and nudged Spyro. Spyro saw Shun blushing and started laughing.

"Looks like someone's in love," said Sparx puckering his lips while making kissy noises. Shun turned away to try to hide his blushing.

"You guys sure are weird," said Flame, "I like that."

"Hey," said Kane as he stood near the edge, "I hate to interrupt but I think they found the empty cages."

Everyone looked over to the side to see that the apes were skewering around looking for Ember and Flame. Lucky for them, without their commander, they were just a bunch of clueless apes.

"Let's get out of here before they find us." said Spyro.

"You don't have to tell me twice." replied Sparx.

"Very well, follow me." said Kane.

Everyone began to follow Kane further into the forest. As Ember passed Shun she slid her tail under his chin playfully. She then turned around and gave a small wink. Shun looked at her confused. He quickly snapped out of it and followed ever into the forest; next stop, Cyril.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Now wasn't that fun. Ember and Flame are now part of the story. I even changed it up. Instead of Ember having the crush on Spyro, she has a crush on Shun. Any way hope you guys liked this chapter. Next chapter is the last for the Cyril rescue. Come back soon for chapter 16.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hey Slapstick here. Well chapter 16 is up and ready. Sorry about the wait, let's get started.

Chapter 16

The sun was high in the sky as it over looked Tall Plains, warming the trees. Through the trees, what little rays poked through, revealed the gruesome sight of apes and llamas laid battered on the ground. Hopefully, Spyro and the others could put an end to this nightmare.

Everyone had been strutting through the forest for some time now, following Kane. Flame was close behind. Spyro and Sparx stayed in the middle, while Shun and Ember took the rear. Spyro looked over his shoulder and tried to keep himself from laughing. Ember had her body pressed close to Shun's as they walked. With Ember so close Shun couldn't help but blush. Spyro turned his head to leave the two "love birds" alone. Things were quiet during the walk. So to break the tension Spyro ran up to Flame and started asking him questions.

"So Flame," he said, "where are you from?"

"From a village not too far from here," he answered, "Ember as well."

"So how did you two end up here?"

"Our village was attacked. We fought them off the best we could." Flame then poked out his chest and raised his head as he continued his story. "I fought them off. Being the best, I had to keep everyone safe."

"The best…You?" said Sparx holding in a laugh.

"That's right. I would take out so many apes you would wonder if I had someone fighting with me."

"Well, if you're SO good then how did you end up in a cage away from your home?"

"Well I…um," Flame struggled to find the right words. "You see I had to protect Ember and they jumped me when I wasn't looking. After the battle we were sent here."

"Right," Sparx nudged Spyro and whispered. "He seems to be full of himself, don't you think?"

"Yeah a little," replied Spyro.

He looked ahead of them and saw that Kane had stopped. In front of them were two paths; one to the left and one to the right. Kane was trying to figure out which way.

"What's the hold up?" asked Sparx, "Come on Mr. Tour guide which way?"

"I'm not sure." said Kane.

"What do you mean you're not sure? I thought you said you knew the way?"

"I do know the way. However, this is an old path that we haven't taken in years. If you give me a minute I'm sure it will come back to me."

"Whatever."

They all took a break as Kane tried to remember which way was the correct path. Spyro, Flame, and Sparx were having a conversation while Ember sat next to Shun. He looked over at the others and could see them snickering to themselves at his predicament.

"Hey get a room you two." called out Sparx.

Shun shot him an angry looked but was distracted by a light that kept shining in his eyes. He followed it up into the trees and saw the source. Without hesitation he pushed Ember to the side.

"Look out!" he yelled.

"What's wrong?" asked Kane.

"That." Shun looked at a nearby tree. Poking out of its trunk was an arrow. Within seconds another arrow was fired, this one heading for Flame. He quickly jumped back and out of the way.

"Everyone, find cover," yelled Kane.

Everyone had jumped behind a tree for cover from the archer. With the thick trees and leaves it was almost impossible to find the archer. Shun slowly poked his head out to find the archer. It was difficult but he managed to find him.

"What do you see?" asked Ember sitting next to him.

"The archer is about thirty yards away. On the top left corner of the tree line." He replied.

"So now what?"

"I have a plan." Shun looked around and grabbed a stick. He tossed it into a nearby bush. The archer turned his attention over to the stick. Shun took that chance and bolted to where Spyro was hiding. The archer saw this and tried to fire another arrow at him. Shun managed to get behind the tree before the arrow could hit him. Shun's sudden appearance startled Sparx.

"Holy crap!" he said. "Can you at least knock before barging in?"

"Not the time, Sparx." said Shun. "Spyro, I'm going to need your help."

"What's the plan?" asked Spyro.

"I'm going to run up into the open. He'll fire at me, exposing himself. Once he does fire at him with an electric strike."

"Why electric?"

"It's quick, precise, and it won't make that big of a scene."

"Ok got it."

"1...2…3!" With that Shun jumped out into the opening, facing the direction of the archer. He prepped himself as the archer took aim and fired. As soon as the arrow was fired, the archer's position was compromised. Spyro spotted the assailant and attacked with an electric strike. As Shun predicted, the strike was quick. It made contact with the archer sending a shock was through his system. Causing him to convulse and fall out of the tree. Shun had managed to dodge the arrow with no problem. Everyone began to walk out of the brush and make their way over to Shun. Suddenly there was a crack in the trees. Shun looked up to his right and saw that there was another archer to the right.

"Spyro on your right!" he called. Spyro turned and shot an electric strike, hitting his target. However, the archer managed to fire an arrow before getting hit. The arrow was heading straight for Shun. He jumped to the right to avoid it, but was cut by the arrow. Soon Ember ran over hoping he was O.K.

"Shun!" she called, "Are you alright?" She started to look at the wound with such intensity that it made Shun a little uncomfortable.

"I'm fine," he said, "It's just a scratch." As soon as he said that Ember pushed her body close to his, and buried her head under his chin.

"Thank the ancestors," she said softly under her breath.

Spyro was the next to come running to Shun's aid.

"Shun are you ok?" he asked

"I'm fine, Spyro," Shun replied, "don't worry."

"Hey guys," said Kane grabbing everyone's attention. "It's this way." He pointed to the path that leads to the right.

"You finally remembered which way?" asked Flame.

"No but I remember a sign was behind this bush." Kane pulled down a bush that was between the two paths. On the sign was an arrow pointing to the right that said shrine underneath it. Everyone shot him a dirty look. "I'm not as young as I once was. I can't remember everything."

"Whatever," said Flame as he walked past Kane.

They continued down the path that leads to Cyril. As they walked they saw that the deeper they went, the deeper the foliage became. This was an old path they were taking, so it isn't well treated. Vines hung over the path, bushes grew outward, and weeds sprouted out in the middle of the path.

After a few minutes of walking they finally reached the shrine. It was, like a lot of Tall Plains, separated from the main area. The only thing connecting it is a rickety bridge that swayed with the wind.

"That is where your friend is." said Kane.

"I've been meaning to ask." said Flame. "Who are we saving?"

"A dragon named Cyril," replied Spyro.

Both Flame and Ember gasped in shock.

"Did you say Cyril?" asked Ember, "As in the Ice Guardian Cyril?"

"Yes," replied Spyro.

"Wow," Ember looked over at Shun, "I didn't know you knew the Guardians."

"Yeah," he replied, "they're our masters."

"That so cool."

"Not to interrupt this thrilling conversation," interrupted Sparx, "but don't you think we should get going."

"He's right." agreed Flame.

"Unfortunately," said Kane, "It's not going to be easy."

"It never is…" said Sparx under his breath.

"You see the shrine is where we worship our God, and he hasn't been given his tribute since Cynder's forces arrive. In order to save your friend, you'll have to get through him."

Knowing the danger they all nodded and flew to the remote area. When they landed the area was no different than some of the other areas they've seen. It was a rather big clear area with tall grass and bushes laid around the edges. In the center were some of the same pillars from before only they were about two feet tall. There was also a large cluster of boulders pilled together covered in moss and vines. Finally, at the very end of the area, on a slab of marble rock, was Cyril. He appeared to be unconscious as he lay on his side.

"I don't see a God," said Flame. "Maybe he left?"

"If that's so then this should be a whole lot easier," said Sparx.

"Come on," said Spyro. "We need to find a green crystal. I'm sure there's one around here somewhere."

They then split up into two groups to find a green crystal. Flame, Spyro, and Sparx were on group. Shun and Ember was the other. They searched all over the area. They checked ever boulder, bush, and corner. Only to found it to be more difficult than they thought. Since the apes have arrived they've been collecting not only the ores but the crystals as well. However, that didn't stop Ember. She made her way to the large group of rocks in the center of the area. She found a small opening underneath it and discovered what they were looking for, a small green crystal only a foot long. It wasn't enough for Cyril to get all his energy back, but it was enough to get him moving. She reached and pulled it out.

"I found one," she called out. As everyone turned towards Ember they began to notice that the rocks began to shift and move out of their original place. Pretty soon they were starting to lift up into the air, and began taking on a form of a creature. The vines used for arms and legs. Moss lay on its back. A massive cluster of rocks formed the body. As it tried to stand its hand was going to hit the ground for balance. However, Ember was right under it.

"Ember, look out!" called Spyro trying to warn Ember. She looked up and saw the hand coming down on her. She was quickly tackled out of the way by Shun as the hand hit the ground.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Take the crystal to master Cyril. We'll handle this." Shun turned and prepared himself to fight.

Ember stood up and made her way to Cyril, but not without give a little smile.

"_I think he likes me,"_ she thought to herself.

Spyro noticed Ember going over to Cyril and thought it was a good idea for Sparx to be over there.

"Sparx," he said, "go to Cyril where it's safe." Spyro looked up and noticed Sparx wasn't there. He then heard a whistle and looked over to see Sparx already hiding behind Cyril.

"All ready ahead of you." called Sparx. Knowing that Sparx was safe he turned his attention back to the creature. As it stood they prepared to fight.

Flame was the first to attack. He flew up and distracted the stone creature. Shun took the opportunity and used a light blast on its back. It cried in pain. As it turned to attack Shun, Spyro jumped on its back and used fire breath. The fire burned the moss growing on its back. It flailed about trying to throw the purple dragon off. Spyro jumped off and landed a few feet away. The stone creature turned and slammed its hand down trying to crush Spyro. However, Spyro jumped out of the way in time. It began to walk over to Spyro when suddenly Flame flew right in front of its face. The creature took a swing at the red dragon. Flame then flew up and the monster hit itself in the face. It became disorientated as it stumbled back a bit. Flame flew just a few feet above it, just out of its reach. He figured as long as he was out of reach he would be ok. He was wrong. As soon as the creature found its balance, it pulled its right arm back and launched it at Flame like some kind of yo-yo. Flame didn't have time to react. The creature grabbed Flame in its hand and brought him close to it. Flame struggled to break free, but the creature had a tight hold on him. He then looked at the creature in the eyes, opened his mouth, and released an inferno that completely covered the creature's face. It cried out in pain as Flame was released. He flew back to the ground next to Spyro.

"You're a fire dragon." He said. Flame smiled and nodded.

The creature recovered from the burns of the fire and turned its attention back to Spyro and Flame. As he was about to approach, Shun had jumped on its head. Out of frustration it tried to crush Shun by slamming its hands on its head. Shun jumped up into the air right as the hands came down, forcing to the creature to hit itself on the head. It became disoriented as it tried to recover. Shun was flying a few feet in the air ready to attack.

"It's time to end this," he said, "say goodbye." Shun opened his ready to fire a dark blast. He pulled his head back and was about to fire when Spyro stopped him.

"Shun wait!" he called. Shun stopped and some dark vapors flowed out of his mouth. He turned towards Spyro, confused.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Don't forget this is their God. I don't think the Atlawa will be happy to see their God destroyed."

"_Damn he's right,"_ thought Shun, _"So how are we suppose to beat it?"_ Right as Shun finished his thought. The creature had recovered. It pulled its body back and flung its arm in a whip like fashion. It came incredibly fast, too fast for Shun to dodge. He took the full force of the blow, and was sent flying into a tree. The creature walked over to Shun, every step causing the ground to shake beneath it. Shun looked to see the creature standing in front of him. It put both its hands together and lifted them above its head. Before it could bring its hands down Spyro flew behind it and used an ice breath to try and stop it. As he attacked the creature's hands began to freeze together. As the ice grew, the creature's hands became overweight. It fell to the ground backwards as its hands were still frozen.

Flame ran over to Shun as quickly as he can. When he got there Shun was struggling to get up. Flame placed his body under Shun as support.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah I'm fine." Replied Shun.

As the creature stood, it brought its frozen hands back to its front. Spyro watched as it struggled to break the ice. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head. He was about to call to Shun and Flame, but was distracted when the creature broke free from the ice. It looked towards Flame and Shun, pulled its body back, and launched its arm at them. Shun quickly reacted. Using his hind legs, Shun pushed off of Flame's body. Sending Flame and himself in opposite directions; avoiding the attack. When Shun landed Spyro flew down to him.

"Shun," he said, "I have an idea."

"What is it?" asked Shun. Spyro began to whisper the plan to Shun. He nodded his head in agreement. "I got it." With that Shun took off into the air and faced the creature. "Hey, over here you big, ugly monster." The creature turned his attention to Shun. It pulled its left arm back and whipped it around like last time. This time Shun flew out the way. The arm was flying back at the creature as its arms, which were made of vines, wrapped around its body. Spyro flew by and began to freeze the vines to its body. He figured that if the creature had a tough time breaking ice with its boulder hands, then it should be even more difficult with its arms frozen. As he predicted, when the vines were fully frozen over the creature could break free. However it did have another arm. It took a swipe at Spyro as he started to fly back around. Spyro didn't see it coming, but was knocked out of the way by Flame.

They were able to successfully bind one arm, but there's still that other arm to worry about and good chance it won't fall for the same thing twice.

They continued to fight the creature hoping to freeze more parts to freeze. However, it became more difficult. The creature was now concentrating most of its efforts to get Spyro. So he couldn't get a clear opening. On top of that, Flame and Shun were forced to concentrate all they're attacks on the upper torso and legs so they wouldn't shatter the ice by accident; thus releasing the creature once again.

Ember watched in awe as she witnessed the guys taking on this behemoth. Having such brave and powerful friends really moved her. Pretty soon she was snapped out of her trance as Sparx flew in front of her.

"Hey," he said, "don't want to interrupt your little show, I'm sure you're very entertained, but you should probably try to wake up the big guy here so he could help."

Ember looked over to see that Cyril was still unconscious, and she was still holding the green crystal. She placed the crystal down and tried to wake up Cyril.

"Ice Guardian Cyril," she said shaking the side of his head. "You have to wake up. Our friends need your help." There was a small groan but he still refused to wake up. Ember was started to panic. The longer Cyril was unconscious, the sooner the rock creature could kill one of her friends.

Sparx flew over to try to help Ember.

"Hey big guy," he said taping Cyril's head. "You can nap on your own time. You know, when our lives are not at risk."

Nothing.

Ember looked down at the crystal and realized that he doesn't need to be conscious to smash it. She ran to the crystal and placed it next to Cyril. She then slid her body underneath Cyril's paw and placed it over the crystal. She quickly moved out of the way and let Cyril's paw drop onto the crystal, completely shattering it. There was a small green glow that surrounded Cyril's body. After it disappeared Cyril slowly opened his eyes. Feeling a new sense of energy, he slowly lifted his head and began to look around.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in Tall Plains, sir," replied Ember. Cyril looked at Ember and was about to ask who she was when he was cut off by Sparx.

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "We can skip the pleasantries later, but if you're not too busy could you maybe help our friends before they're killed."

Cyril looked over to where Sparx was talking about. His vision was a bit blurred but he could make out a giant rock creature. He then noticed the ice around the creature and saw that it was slowly starting to melt. Cyril got up as quickly as he could and made his way over to the creature. With the little bit of energy he had used his ice breath and started to freeze the creature. The ice grew as it surrounded the creature's body. When he stopped the ice had grown exponentially, but surprising enough left the head completely unfrozen. The creature struggled to break free, but couldn't.

Cyril began to stumble as he used too much energy. When he finally regained his composer his vision became clearer. When he completely got his eye sight back Spyro was the first person he recognized.

"Can it be?" he asked with a gasp. "Is it possible that the purple dragon lives?"

"Hello, Cyril," greeted Spyro, "my name is Spyro it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to finally meet the purple dragon."

"Yeah, yeah nice," said Sparx flying next to Spyro, "whatever."

"Sorry, this is my brother Sparx," said Spyro.

"Hey how's it going?"

"Well it's nice to meet y-," Cyril stopped mid-sentence. He looked up to see Shun walking towards him. "Shun?" He said with a gasp. "Is that you?"

"It's good to see you again, Master Cyril," replied Shun.

"I'm glad to see that you're alive. I had no doubts really. You were personally trained by me."

Before Shun could say anything else something wrapped its arms around him from the side, taking him completely by surprise. It was Ember. She had her head completely buried into Shun's neck.

"Thank the ancestors your ok." She whispered.

"Ember let go of him," said Flame walking to Spyro, "you're such a drama queen. By the way, Spyro and I are fine thanks for asking."

"Well now who's this?" asked Cyril.

"Oh," said Spyro, "Cyril this is Flame and that's Ember."

"It's an honor to meet you sir," said Flame bowing his head a bit.

"Yeah, yeah, we're all honored," interrupted Sparx with a sarcastic tone. "Hey here's a brilliant idea. Can we not do introductions next to a giant monster that just tried to kill us? Plus I think he's about to break free."

Everyone looked over to where the creature was and noticed that Sparx was right. The ice was starting melt and chip away. Pretty soon it will be free.

"He's right," said Spyro. "Follow us, Cyril, we know a safer place."

They all took off and landed on the other cliff side where Kane is waiting.

"Your back," he said. "From the looks of things you managed to subdue the God of the shrine, right?"

"It wasn't so tuff," replied Sparx. Everyone just simple rolled their eyes.

"Master Cyril, this is Kane. He helped us rescue you." Introduced Shun. Kane and Cyril didn't exchange luxuries. They simply bowed their heads in respect towards one another.

"By the way," Kane said, "while you were gone I managed to find this." Kane pulled out a green crystal. "I know how you dragons use it to gain your strength, so I figured one of you might need it."

"You should probably take it, Master Cyril," offered Shun.

"That is quite alright Shun," replied Cyril, "I'll be fine. We ice dragons have incredible stamina."

"Ok, Kane, can you hang on to it. We may need it later."

"Why would we need it later?" asked Cyril confused.

"We promised them that after we saved you, we would help rescue Kane's tribesmen." replied Spyro. "I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all dear boy," said Cyril. "As an ice dragon I understand the importance of keeping once promises. Those who break it are worse than scum. I admire your commitment. That is why I will help you."

Everyone was staring at Cyril with a strange look; everyone except for Shun, who shook his head with a small grin.

"So," spoke Kane, "how are you going to get my people out safely?"

"Don't worry," replied Shun, "I have a plan."

Everyone began to move closer to listen to the plan.

_Meanwhile…_

Dredd and his men were digging out the reserved deposits they had found. The llama's description was accurate. They had found the reserved deposits exactly where he said. It took them a while to find it, but not too long. However, it was long enough for Dredd to start thinking that he was going to have to kill some of the llamas for lying to him. Since they found them he didn't have to. Though, in his mind, he really wanted to punish them for lying.

"_Maybe I could kill two of them,"_ he thought, _"I pull two aside and when they ask why I'll say because I was bored. Yeah that will be perfect."_

His thought was soon interrupted when one of his soldiers came running to him tired and out of breath.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Sir…you have…to…come…see this," said the soldier between breathes.

They began walking with the soldier in front, two others in the middle, and Dredd in the back. After a few minutes of walking, they finally come across the place Kane was held captive. However, they didn't see Kane. They saw a broken cage with a body next to it. It was one of the apes assigned to guard Kane. There were two other dead apes behind the bushes.

Dredd's anger began to boil. Like the rest, he was unaware that there were dragons roaming around. So he blamed everything on Kane.

"Get everyone back to the camp!" he yelled.

"But sir what about the deposits?" asked the soldier.

"Screw the deposits! As you can see Kane is missing! I want everyone back to the camp, and when we get there I want his tribe dragged out in front of me! I bet they'll know where he his!"

"But sir…" before he could finish Dredd took out his dagger and plunged it into the questioning soldier, killing him instantly. He then turned to the other two apes; they looked at him in fear.

"Anyone else wants to question me?" asked Dredd. The two apes took off to carry out the orders that Dredd gave them.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Well there you go one long chapter. Now, I know I said before that I would make this chapter the last of the Cyril rescue. However, if I kept going then it would have been a tad too long. So I split the chapters up. Chapter 17 will be up really, really soon; promise.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Hey slaps here again. Well like I promised, chapter 17 up and ready. That was quick wasn't it? Enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 17

"Everyone got it?" asked Shun as he looked around. Everyone gave him a nod, signaling that they understood; except for Kane who looked unsure about the plan.

"I don't know about this," he said, arms crossed.

"I know you don't like the idea of you being used as a distraction."

"Clearly." Kane looked at Shun more serious than ever.

"But think about it. Good chance their now looking for you, and I highly doubt they know we're here. If you pretend to give yourself up, you'll distract them long enough for us to get your tribe out of there."

"I don't know."

"Well I think it's a fantastic plan," said Cyril with pride in his voice. "It's simple yet effective. An excellent plan, but I can't expect anything less from one of my best students."

"Fine," said Kane defeated. "I'm just worried about my tribe. If this plan fails they could be put in danger."

"I promise, Kane," said Spyro, "no harm will come to your tribe."

"I hope not." Kane then turned and headed towards the camp they came across before.

_Meanwhile…_

Dredd was making his way back to the camp with the rest of his group. He had a lot on his mind on the way back. Kane was the biggest thing on his mind. He wanted to know exactly how Kane managed to escape his prison. There was no way for him to get out. Even if by some chance he did escape, Dredd left four guards there to watch Kane. The only thing that could possibly make since of this was that Kane received help, but from whom? It's obvious he was receiving help from one of the Atlawa. He was going to get information out of them, even if he had to torture them.

He and his men arrived moments later and were greeted with a nasty surprise. Parts of their camp were now a smoldering pile of ash. Many of the tents have been burned down, or singed from what appeared to be a fire.

"What the hell happened?" he called out in anger. One of the apes walked up to him, shaking out of fear, to answer him.

"W-well…s-sir," said the apes trying to get the words out. "I'm a-afraid t-that the alcohol caught on fire and caused an explosion."

"How the hell could it catch on fire?" yelled Dredd. The ape flinched but continued to explain.

"W-well it is kind of hot, s-so maybe…"

"Alcohol can't just catch on fire just by heat you idiot! In order for something like this to happen someone had to set the alcohol on fire! Now who was it?"

"I don't know sir."

Dredd was about to pull out his sword when he stopped right as he grabbed the handle.

"You know what?" he said pulling his hand away, "I don't have time for this right now. Gather the tribe, NOW!"

"Yes sir!" the ape ran to complete the order given to him.

Within minutes, all the Atlawa were forced out of their prisons and gathered near the rear of the camp. Dredd walked over to them with a look of anger and frustration. As the Atlawa looked into his eyes they all feared what he was planning to do.

"What do you want from us this time?" asked a brave, yet fool hearty, llama.

"Shut your mouth!" yelled Dredd. "Kane has gone missing and I know damn well he didn't escape on his own! So I want to know who's helping him!"

"What do you mean?" asked the brave llama, "You've kept us locked up the whole time. How exactly are we going to help Kane?"

"I don't know how, but someone is obviously helping him! I want to know who! You all have five seconds to explain before I order my men to start killing all of you! 5…4…3…2..!"

Right before he could finish, one of his soldiers interrupted him.

"Sir," said the soldier.

"You better hope that this important," said Dredd in an eerily calm voice, "if not…you're dead."

"We found him, sir. We found Kane."

Dredd turned around with a surprised look on his face which quickly turned back to anger. He made his way to the front of the camp. His men followed him except for three who stayed behind to lead the tribe back to their prison.

When Dredd arrived to the front of the camp he was surprised to see that the soldier was telling the truth. Kneeling on the ground was Kane. His arms were tied up so he wouldn't escape. Dredd soon carried an evil grin as he walked over to the captured llama.

_Meanwhile…_

The llamas were being escorted back to their prisons by three guards. After finding Kane, Dredd didn't need them anymore. They rounded the corner that lead to the cells. As soon as they were out of sight three dragons came flying out of the trees and attacked. Before anyone knew what happened the guards were dead on the ground. The llamas were wary of the dragons as they looked at them. The dragons ran over to the llamas while a fourth one came out. However, instead of attacking, they came to comfort them.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Spyro.

"Yes, we're fine," answered one of the elders, "who are you?"

"My name is Spyro. These are my friends Flame and Ember." Spyro pointed towards a pink dragon and a red dragon. "These are my brothers Shun and Sparx." Spyro pointed to a black and white dragon, and a yellow firefly. "We've come to help."

"Oh thank so much." Everyone gave a sigh of relief knowing that help has finally arrived.

"Is there a safe place for you all to hide?" asked Flame.

"There's a cave not too far from here that the apes don't know about," said one of the warrior llamas.

"Good," said Shun, "take the women and children there. Are there any warriors that wish to fight? We're going to help get your land back."

All but three warriors stepped up ready to fight. Some were even female. They were willing to slaughter the apes and risk their lives for their people, their land, and their freedom.

They needed to prepare themselves. They snuck into a tent that was bigger than some of the others. There were a few guards inside, but they made quick work of them. Inside was a collection of swords and daggers, as well as bows and arrows. The llamas stocked up on weaponry, and made their way back to their previous spot. They readied themselves for battle.

"So, now what?" asked Spyro.

"Now," said Shun, "we move on to phase two." Shun looked over at Flame and Ember, and gave them a little nod. They nodded back to indicate they understand.

_Meanwhile…_

"Hello Kane," greeted Dredd.

"Dredd," said Kane in a low toned, kind of insulting, voice.

"Let's cut to the chase. I want to know how you got out of that cage. I know damn well you didn't get out on your own. So who's helping you? Did one of those Atlawa trash help you?"

"None of them helped me."

"Kane, you're only making this worse for yourself and your people. Tell me who's helping you and I'll make your punishment less painful." Kane kept quiet. "I guess we'll just have to play this game again." said Dredd under his breath. "Fine if you don't want to tell me, maybe your tribe…" He was then interrupted by someone.

"Hey you guys!" called a red dragon and pink dragon. Dredd turned and noticed that it was Flame and Ember, the two dragons that he had caged up.

"How the hell did they get loose!" yelled Dredd angrier than ever.

"What's the matter? Can't catch a couple of dragons?" teased Flame.

"I think their scared Flame," replied Ember.

"Get them!" ordered Dredd. About half of his army went after the two dragons. Flame and Ember ran behind a tent and took cover. As soon as the apes rounded the corner, they were greeted with a barrage of arrows piercing their bodies. Some apes were killed in an instant while others fell in pain as they coughed up blood. The llamas dropped the bows and pulled out their swords.

"It's time to reclaim our land!" yelled one of the llama warriors. They all soon followed suit. They screamed at the top of their lungs charging into battle, ready to die for their freedom. They all ran around the corner and charged the ape army. Dredd was taken by surprise when he saw that the llamas have escaped.

"Men to arms!" ordered Dredd. Two apes stayed back while the rest of the apes pulled out their swords and charged the llamas. The gap was starting to close between the Atlawa and the apes. Battle cries could be in the distance. As soon as they were within range, there was a sudden burst of fire that engulfed the front part of the ape's assault. Dredd looked surprised as he witnessed his soldiers burning. Suddenly, out of the flames jumped the two dragons he had imprisoned, as well as two unknown dragons he had never seen. One of the dragons was purple while the other was black and white. The dragons were the first to attack with the Atlawian tribe right behind them. They were young but fierce, taking out several of Dredd's soldiers. One after another apes would fall to these young dragons.

Out of fear some ran back towards the trees. However, when they reached the forest they were greeted by a blue dragon. He released an ice blast freezing the fleeing apes. Dredd simply stood there, dumbfounded, by what he was witnessing.

"What the hell?" said Dredd trying to make sense of this. "How is this happening? What is that ice dragon doing here? Most importantly, who are those other dragons?"

"Oh Dredd," said Kane with a chuckle. Dredd turned to see Kane standing, holding the ropes that binded him in one hand, and a small dagger in the other. Dredd looked down to see the two apes that stayed were dead. "Even with your massive army, you still couldn't find two sneaky dragons."

"What are you talking about?"

"They've been walking around Tall Plains the whole time. They released me and the other dragons from their prison."

"I thought you said no one was helping you?"

"No…I said no Atlawa was helping me."

"That's it! I've had enough of this! It's time to end it here and now!" Dredd pulled out his sword and prepared for a fight.

Kane grabbed a sword off one of the dead bodies and readied himself.

Dredd charged first, he swung his sword as he aimed for Kane's head. Kane jumped out of the way and rolled behind Dredd. Kane recovered and swung his sword, Dredd quickly turned and blocked the attack. The swords made the classic cling sound when they struck each other. The ape general pushed on the sword causing Kane to stumble back a bit. He swiped the sword at Kane's stomach. He jumped back avoiding the slice. The ape went with the sword and did a full body turn. Kane saw it coming and struck Dredd's sword causing him to stumble. Kane pulled up the sword and cut Dredd in the arm. He stumbled back and looked at the wound. It hurt but it wasn't bad. He looked up at Kane and put on an evil smile.

"You're better than I thought."

Kane didn't say anything. He had nothing to say to this monster. Dredd felt offended. He charged Kane and they continued their battle. Their swords struck together as one tried to kill the other. They both were able to cut one another, but not to really cause any problems. Their battle lasted for what seemed like hours. Soon they were out of breath and covered in cuts. They looked at each other ready for this to end. Dredd charged at Kane and swung his sword. Kane swung his sword up. The force caused Dredd's arm to fly up leaving him exposed. Kane took the chance and plunged his sword deep into Dredd. Kane began to twist the sword. He wanted Dredd to pay for everything. He began to cough up blood and fell to his knees. His blood stained the ground as He felt the pain of defeat.

"I told you I'd kill you before this was over," said Kane. Once the sword was out Dredd's blood was free to flow onto the ground which he had stained with so many innocents. With his blood on the ground he couldn't stay up. He fell to the ground, hard. He looked up into the sky and watched as a few birds flew by. His vision began to fade, his breathing became shallow, and his heart was stopping. Within a matter of seconds, he was dead. Kane stood over Dredd's body triumphantly. He had defeated the very monster that terrorized his people. Kane looked over his shoulder. He saw that his tribe had defeated the ape horde.

"We've done it!" called one of the llamas. Soon there was an eruption of cheers as the women and children began to emerge. Everyone made their way to Kane as they started to congratulate and thank him. Kane looked past the crowd and saw the five dragons sitting together. Kane didn't feel that he deserved the praise.

"My fellow Atlawa," Kane spoke, "I am not the one you should be thanking." He gestured his head to the dragons. "It is those dragons you should be thanking. They didn't have to help us. They could have easily left us here to die, but they didn't. They stayed and fought alongside us. They are the true heroes. Your praise should go to them." Everyone was soon surrounding the dragons and began thanking them. Giving them a pat on the back, handshakes, hugs, some throwing themselves at their feet in thanks, such was the tyranny of the ape general Dredd.

"I could get use to this," said Sparx enjoying the praise.

"Thank you all for your help," said Kane. "We would like to honor you for your selfless acts."

"Alright now that's what I'm talking about. Bring on the love."

"Please stay for our celebration. You will be our honored guests."

"Sign me up."

"As much as we'd like to," said Spyro, "we need to return home. There are other things that we need to do."

"Are you sure you can't stay?" asked Kane a little disappointed.

"I can stay," said Sparx

"I'm sorry Kane," said Cyril, "but Spyro is right. We would love to stay and experience your…primitive…society, but we have important duties to attend to."

"Very well," said Kane a little offended by what Cyril, "I understand. Just remember, you're welcome here anytime."

"Thank you," said Shun.

"Alright young ones," said Cyril, "we must take our leave. Flame, Ember, you two are welcomed to stay with us at the temple."

"Thank you sir." said Flame overly excited. They said their goodbye and were about to leave when Sparx stopped them.

"Oh come on," he said, "can't we stay just a little bit?"

"Sorry Sparx," said Spyro, "we have to go."

"But they're worshiping me."

"Sparx…"

"Fine."

With that they all took off, heading back to the temple. The Atlawa waved to their heroes as they began to disappear in the distance.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed. Sorry it's not long like the other one. Anyway, Chapter 18 will also be up really soon, promise.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Hey slaps here. Chapter 18 is up and ready. My brain must be going into overdrive right now. Three chapters already up, and more to come.

Chapter 18

The sun was starting to set. It bathed the land with an orange glow. The waters were calm and the forest was quiet. Everything seemed peaceful. Except at the temple, where things have started to become more active. Everyone had gathered around the pool of visions as they discussed their plans.

"Enough Volteer," said Cyril. "I see that months of captivity have done nothing to slow that electric tongue of yours from waging."

"It's just that it's all so exciting, exhilarating, thrilling, titillating, and um…" said an overly happy Volteer.

"Dude, speak English." said Sparx.

"Sparx, don't be rude." said Spyro.

"All of you please be quiet!" ordered Ignitus in an intimating roar. Everyone stayed quiet. "It is indeed encouraging that Spyro and Shun have been able to free the two of you, as well as two newcomers, so we can have this little reunion. However, there is someone we are forgetting."

"Yes, of course…Terridor." replied Cyril.

"Precisely." said Ignitus. "We will have time for celebration when Terridor is back at the temple, safe and sound."

"You are absolutely right, Ignitus," said Volteer, "how long do you think it will take to locate him?"

"I am not too sure. I could find him tonight or in a few days."

"Well until that time I suggest that we begin training the young ones."

"I agree with Volteer." said Cyril.

"You do?" asked Volteer, shocked that Cyril is agreeing with him.

"Even though you annoy me, at times you bring up good points. We should definitely begin training the young ones." Cyril then turned his attention to Spyro. "Spyro, it is apparent that during your time in Tall Plains you've learned a thing or two about ice. You and I shall adjourn to the training room. So I may teach you more about this wonderful element. You will learn the legacy of my ancestors. Who come from the best of the best. With my help the next rescue mission will be a walk in the park."

"Cyril, your ego stroking has become aggravating beyond belief."

"Enough you two," interrupted Ignitus, "you can argue later. Right now we have more important things to do. Now, Cyril will take Spyro to the training room. Shun, you are to stay with me and help clean more of the temple. As for you two…" he then turned his attention to Flame and Ember. "If you are to stay here with us you must follow our guidelines."

"Of course sir," spoke Ember.

"We'll do whatever you say," said Flame.

"Good," replied Ignitus, "One of our guidelines requires that the young ones receive an education, no matter what. So, I want you two to go with Volteer to the library. He will give you a private lesson for today."

Flame and Ember nodded in agreement.

"Very well," said Volteer, "follow me children."

"Coming," said Ember. She then turned and looked at Shun, "I'll see you later, Shun."

"Yeah…see ya," Shun waved goodbye as Flame, Ember, and Volteer disappeared down one corridor. He then turned his attention to Spyro as he noticed him walking with Cyril to the training room.

"Oh, one more thing before you all depart," called Ignitus getting everyone's attention. "Volteer and I clean up one of the living quarters. So you children won't have to sleep with us old dragons. It's just across the hall from our chamber."

Everyone nodded and headed to their destinations, Ignitus and Shun were left alone. Ignitus looked at Shun, sitting on his left side, and decided to have a little fun.

"So," he said, "you and Ember huh?" Shun quickly blushed and looked at Ignitus. "Here I thought you were too cool for a girlfriend."

"Master Ignitus!" Shun called out in embarrassment.

"I will say this, she is pretty cute."

"Master Ignitus, it's not like that! We're just friends!"

"I don't know, it seems to be more than that. I mean, I saw the way you two looked at each other."

"I was just saying goodbye!"

"Were you?"

"…Master Ignitus, this is really out of character for you."

"He he…" Ignitus placed his left paw on top of Shun's head, "…calm down Shun. I was just teasing, but she does seem to like you."

"Maybe," Shun looked away still a bit embarrassed. Ignitus took his paw off Shun's head and made his way down a corridor that leads to the lower levels of the temple.

"Let's go. We have a lot of work to do."

"Yes sir." Shun followed Ignitus into the corridor.

_Meanwhile…_

Cyril, Spyro, and Sparx arrived at the training room. The statue had retreated into the ground as Spyro prepared for his training.

"Now then," spoke Cyril, "Fire and electricity are a nice spectacle, but ice is an element for the elites. For good reason too."

"Why is that?" asked Spyro finishing his stretches.

"Spyro, explain the first time you used your ice attack."

"Well, before I discovered ice, I was really cold to the point that my body started to shake violently. I found it hard to breathe, and there was a small shooting pain in my chest. When I did release it everything seemed to go away at once."

"That's because ice is a special element. In order to be used your core temperature will fall a bit. Your body will be a little cold when using ice, but it won't be a problem; at least not for those who've trained how to use it."

"Oh man," said Sparx, "I don't like the way he said that."

"You see, Spyro, before you released the ice your body didn't adapt to it. So it had no way of keeping it under control. So your core temperature dropped to a dangerous level. So that pain in your chest and breathing troubles was ice building around your lungs and heart. When you finally released it, all the ice was pushed out of your system and your body has now adapted. However, if you wish to learn higher advanced ice attacks, your body will be pushed pretty hard. Are you sure you are ready?"

"I'm ready," said Spyro almost unfazed by what Cyril said.

"Then let us begin."

They started off simple. Cyril wanted to see what he has learned. He had Spyro start out by freezing a dummy in the middle of the training room. Spyro was able to do it with no problem. However, Cyril was too impressed. Spyro's attack was rather small compared to others Cyril has seen. So he had him try again. This time he wanted Spyro to make it much bigger. He thought up another dummy. Spyro tried again, but it was still the same size. They kept this up for an hour. Cyril would think up a new dummy, and Spyro would freeze it. It wasn't until that hour mark that Spyro was starting to feel fatigued. He's been pushing himself to try and make the ice breath bigger, but couldn't. Cyril thought up one more dummy. Spyro looked at the dummy and, with everything he had left, he surrounded the dummy in a large ice breathe. It was much bigger than all the other ones had been. Cyril brought a smile to his face.

"_Incredible,"_ he thought, _"I was expecting him to get this in a few days like most you dragon, but he managed to learn it in an hour. Very impressive."_

"Good work Spyro," he said out loud, "With your ice breathe bigger you will be able to take down more enemies."

"Thanks…Cyril…" said Spyro between breathes.

"Whoa, Spyro, you don't look so good man." said Sparx.

"Thanks…for…the…observation…Sparx."

"You see this is why you should lose weight."

"Shut…Up!"

Cyril noticed how tired Spyro was so he decided to teach him one more thing before calling it quits.

"Spyro," he said, "There's one more thing I want to teach you before we end training. I'm sure that Ignitus and Volteer have taught you the fury attacks." Spyro nodded. "Well then you should know what to do. Now, Spyro, I want you to let that ice build up inside of you once again. I want you to feel the cold course through your body. Now concentrate. Send that energy, not forward, but outward. Release that energy, Spyro."

Spyro did as he was told. He concentrated and felt the ice build up inside of him again. Once again it was a little hard to breath. He immediately shot open his eyes and release the ice in a cold burst. Freezing the floor and parts of the wall as well. The moment he was done the shivering returned. His whole body broke out into a spasm as he fell to the floor shaking.

"Spyro, you ok?" asked Sparx. "Spyro, if you can hear me shake if I can have your breakfast tomorrow?" Spyro didn't really hear Sparx, but he did shake. "Thanks man." Cyril started to walk to the shivering dragon.

"I told you the ice will push your body to its limits," he said. They stayed in the training room until Spyro was no longer shaking.

_Meanwhile…_

While Spyro was busy training, Flame and Ember were starting their class. They sat together at one of the tables waiting for Volteer to return.

"So what do you think Volteer has in store for us?" asked Flame.

"I don't know," said Ember, "I just wish he'd hurry up so we can get this over with."

Right on queue Volteer arrive with two books in his hand. Both were the same books that Spyro had to read. He placed one in front of Flame, and the other one in front of Ember.

"Now then young ones," Volteer explained, "I want you two to read the first seven chapters of these books. I will stop by to see your progress, and maybe ask you a few questions. Happy reading." Volteer then disappeared into the library. Ember wasted no time and got right into it. Flame, on the other hand, thumbed through it and gave an upset look.

"We have to read all of this?" he asked. He looked at Ember and noticed that she was reading the book. He hated silence so he made small talk. "So Ember, we haven't had any alone time in a while."

"What are you talking about?" she replied looking at Flame, "You and I were alone in Tall Plains."

"Get to reading," Volteer's voice range throughout the library making it difficult to pinpoint the location. Ember quickly turned her head back to the book and continued reading. Flame, however, didn't want to end the conversation.

"I'm talking about being alone together without a cage," he continued. Flame was so busy talking that he didn't hear the guardian sneaking up behind him. Volteer placed his paw on Flame's head and forced him to face book again. Flame pretended to read until Volteer was out of ear shot. "Isn't it nice that you and I have some alone time."

"I guess," said Ember, "Flame we'll talk about this later just read the book." Ember then looked back to her book and continued to read. She didn't want to ignore Flame, but she didn't want to get in trouble either.

"I'm just saying. I like hanging out with you. It's nice." Without warning he was picked up from the table. He looked up to see Volteer taking him to another table. When he was put down he saw that he was far away from Ember. Volteer left to the other table and grabbed the book. He brought it back Flame and placed it in front of him.

"Stop fooling around and start reading," said Volteer in a more stern voice. This time Flame didn't argue. He got right into it.

_Meanwhile…_

The night had finally arrived to the temple. The celestial moons shined halls of the temple. The stars gave their dim, yet beautiful, gleam. Spyro walked through the halls completely exhausted. He was about to make his turn to the guardian's sleeping quarters. Right as he was at the door he remembered that there was another area for him to sleep in. He turned around and saw another door. He walked in and saw that room was a little bit smaller than the guardians sleeping quarters. However, he wasn't complaining. There was enough space for them to sleep in. Beautiful tapestries hung all around the room. This surprised Spyro since there were cracks all along the walls and pillars. There were four soft pillows on the floor. Soon something caught his eye. He looked in the corner of the room and saw Shun sleeping soundly. He must have been there for quite a while.

"So this is where we're sleeping," said Sparx flying behind him. "Not bad."

"Yeah it's pretty nice," said Spyro.

"Well I'm going to get some rest. I sure am tired from-"

"Doing nothing."

"Hey…forget it. I'm too tired to fight back." Sparx flew up and to his surprise there was a small bed made of grass and moss. Sparx started to become overwhelmed by the gracious gift. The moment he started to lie down he felt how surprising soft it was. Within seconds he was sleeping.

Spyro walked over to one of the pillows that were lying next to a wall, centered in the room. He laid his head down and closed his eyes. Before he went to sleep he heard one of the doors open. It was Ember, but Flame wasn't with her. Spyro got curious.

"Where's Flame," he asked.

"Still with Volteer," she replied, "reading those seven chapters." Spyro started to chuckle. Ember walked over to one of the pillows. She chose the one closest to Shun, but kept her distance. She laid her head down and drifted off to sleep with Spyro soon followed.

_Meanwhile…_

Ignitus and Cyril were sitting around the pool of visions. Soon their gaze was shifted to the door as they saw Volteer enter the room. He sat down by the pool and let out a deep sigh.

"How was the lesson?" asked Ignitus.

"Well Ember is an excellent student," Said Volteer. "She's punctual, polite, and well focused. However, Flame is another story."

"How so?" asked Cyril.

"He's adamant, apathetic, and somewhat egocentric. In short, he's a mini-Cyril."

"Why you…"

"Alright you two," interrupted Ignitus. "Well, Volteer, I am sure this will make you feel better. I have discovered the location of Terridor."

Volteer quickly looked at Ignitus with surprise.

"You have?" he asked, "Where?"

"On Munitions Forge."

"Really? He was that close this whole time?"

"Apparently. To think that he's been right under our noses this whole time."

"We must tell the young ones right now," said Cyril.

"Hold on Cyril," stopped Volteer, "The children have been through enough today. It's best we let them rest."

"But Terridor require our aid. We can't just leave him there."

"Cyril," said Ignitus, "Volteer is right. No sense sending the children when their tired. We will let them rest. Then tomorrow they will go to retrieve Terridor."

With nothing left to say they made their way to their quarters to get some rest for tomorrow.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Another chapter down. This one was the classic filler chapter. We got Spyro's training as well as what else they did. Chapter 19 will on the way soon. Hope you're looking forward to it.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Hey slaps here. Well chapter 19 is here like I said. Man I have been on a roll lately. It's like I got a burst of energy from that little hiatus. Well enough of my rambling, let's get started.

Chapter 19

Morning had come rather quick. The sun bathed the temple in a beautiful orange. As always the guardians were the first up. They gathered around the pool of visions, and waited for the children to awaken.

Within the hour they all started to arrive to the pool of visions. With Shun the first to arrive, and Sparx being the last.

"Good morning, everyone." greeted Ignitus. "So Ember, Flame, how was your first night sleeping in the temple?"

"Better than sleeping in a cage that's for sure." said Flame.

"Don't be rude, Flame," said Ember, "It was really nice. Thank you for letting us stay."

"You're quite welcome," spoke Cyril, "It's our solemn duty as guardians to take care of you young ones."

"Your pride is most unbecoming, Cyril," said Volteer.

"I'd rather have a prideful soul than a blather tongue."

"Alright enough you two," interrupted Ignitus, "don't forget about the issues at hand."

"What do you mean?" asked Spyro.

"We have just discovered the location of Terrador."

"Really? Where?"

"On Munitions Forge, a volcano a few miles from here."

"Well what are we waiting for?" said Flame as he ran to the door.

"Hold on there, Flame," called Ignitus. As soon as he did Flame came to a quick halt. "I think it would be better if you all left during the evening. With the night sky and cloud cover from the volcano, you should be able to sneak in with no problem."

"I hate to disagree, old sport," said Cyril, "but I highly doubt we have enough time to wait until night fall. For all we know, Cynder is collecting Terridor's energy as we speak."

"I don't think so," stated Ignitus, "I believe she has not yet gathered the energy from Terridor."

"I don't understand, Ignitus," said Spyro.

"Glad to see I'm not the only one," said Sparx.

"Volteer," said Ignitus, "how long ago did Cynder collect your energy before Spyro and Shun rescued you."

"A few minutes before," replied Volteer.

"Cyril, what about you?"

"About an hour or two before," replied Cyril. "What are you getting at?"

"I would have to guess that the crystal needs time to take in the energy. If she didn't wait then there would have been a chance that the crystal would be over powered and shattered."

"I guess that does make sense."

"So we will wait until night fall. Understood?" Everyone nodded their heads. "Now in the mean time I would like to see our new student's abilities. Follow me." Everyone made their way to the training room. Flame and Ember were particularly nervous. They looked up to the guardians, and performing in front of them was a terrifying thought. As they entered the training room, the three guardians sat side by side; with Ignitus in the middle, Cyril to the right, and Volteer to the left. The young dragons stood in front of them.

"Let's start with a little sparing match," said Ignitus, "Flame, why don't you spar with…Spyro."

Flame let out a sigh of relief. Spyro heard it and felt a little offended. They walked over to the center of the room and stood about ten to fifteen feet apart.

"Don't worry, Spyro," said Flame, "I'll go easy on you."

"What?" said Spyro.

"Yeah, you may be the purple dragon but you're still a beginner. I can tell from when you fought on Tall Plains." Spyro barred his teeth in anger.

"Come on, Spyro, kick his butt," cheered Sparx. "This guy's got nothing on you. Show him what you're made of."

"You may begin," announced Ignitus.

Flame wasted no time. He fired a fire ball at Spyro. As it got close, it hit the ground right in front of Spyro. Before he could react, Flame flew through the smoke caused by the fire ball. He raised his left claw and made a quick strike. It made contact and Spyro was sent flying back. He soon recomposed himself and landed on his feet. When he looked up he saw that Flame shot another fire ball at him. Spryo quickly jumped to the side. Flame didn't let up. He launched fire balls one after the other. When he finally stopped, Spyro was panting rather heavy. Flame quickly charged at him and whipped his tail around. Spyro flew up into the air to avoid. Flame smirked and flew up after him. Flame attacked with his claws. Spyro turned to the side and let Flame fly right by him. Spyro took this chance and used an electric strike. Flame did a barrel roll to avoid the strike. Flame turned to face Spyro and shot a fire blast. Spyro quickly switched elements and used an ice blast to counter the fire. The explosion from the fire caused Spyro to fall back down to the ground. When landed he looked up to see a wave of fire blast coming at him. He jumped away just in time. He kept jumping back until he realized where he was. He looked back to see that he was against the wall. Flame dropped to the ground and looked at Spyro with a smile. He pulled his head back and prepared to fire. Spyro suddenly got an idea. He got ready for the attack. Flame then released the fire blast. It flew at Spyro with great speed. Spyro waited for the right time. Immediately, he jumped up and pushed of the wall with his back legs. He was then sent flying straight at Flame, but not before dodging the fire blast. It made impact with the wall a second after Spyro pushed off. The explosive force gave Spyro extra speed. Flame didn't have time to react. Spyro bent his head down and gave Flame a hard head-butt on the forehead. The force sent both of them to fall to the ground. They weren't unconscious but they were to hurt to continue moving.

Shun and Sparx immediately ran to Spyro while Ember ran to Flame.

"Are you ok?" asked Shun.

"Yeah," replied Spyro, "just sore."

"How about you?" asked Ember.

"I'm fine," replied Flame, "I just have a major headache."

As Spyro and Flame tried to recover from the spar, the guardians admired their students.

"That Flame sure is strong. Wouldn't you agree?" said Volteer.

"I couldn't agree more," responded Cyril, "but what about Spyro? He's definitely improving. To use the force of the explosion to increase his speed was brilliant."

"Yes he has improved," said Ignitus, "but he still has a long way to go."

Spyro and Flame were making their way back to the guardians to rest. As soon as they sat down, Ignitus gave them each a red crystal. After smashing the crystals, their pain and headaches were now gone.

"Good work you two," said Ignitus, "I am impressed with you, Flame. You are much stronger than I thought. Spyro, you have also impressed me. In the few days you've been here, you have greatly improved over time."

"Thanks, Ignitus," said Spyro with a big smile on his face.

"Now, let begin the next match. Ember, Shun, make your way to the center."

As Shun and Ember walked to the center, there was a looked of discomfort on Shun's face. He was a little adamant about fighting a girl. However, that all changed when he looked into Ember's eyes. He saw a look of determination with a hint of cockiness. Ember wasn't going to hold back, and he didn't want to be embarrassed by a girl. So he took a deep breath and thought.

"_Ok calm down,"_ he thought, _"She didn't use her element, and I didn't get a good look at her fighting style. As of now she's a mystery. I just need to keep my distance and wait for her to make the first move."_

"You may begin," announced Ignitus.

Ember wasted no time. As soon as the match began she charged at Shun. She was soon in front of him. Ember was too fast for Shun to react. She tackled Shun hard in the chest. He was sent flying back a few feet. When he landed he looked up and saw Ember on his right side. She lifted her claw and tried to strike at Shun. He quickly ducked his head down and avoided the strike. However, Ember kept going with her motion, swinging her whole body around and attack with her tail. The second Shun brought his head back up, Ember's tail hit him on the right side of his face. He then was sent tumbling back. When he stopped he was lying on his back. He quickly rose to his feet, still shocked by the kind of speed Ember was showing. Shun looked over to Ignitus for a second. He saw that Ignitus had a small scowl on his face. He turned his attention back to Ember. He needed to get the upper hand. He quickly charged at Ember. He slashed at her with his right claw. She avoided the attack and took off into the rafters. Shun flew after her. Ember noticed him come and quickly whipped her body around. As Shun got closer he noticed that Ember was planning to hit him with her tail. He quickly spun his body around and blocked Ember's attack with his tail. Soon Shun was now higher than Ember. She took her chance and flew at him directly. Shun avoided the attack right on time, letting Ember pass by him. However, before she completely passed by, Shun bit down on her tail. He pulled back and threw her back down to the ground. She couldn't stabilize herself so she landed on the ground hard. When she finally looked up she saw a black aura head straight towards her. Ember quickly got back up and jumped out of the way. When the aura hit the ground it created a big cloud of debris. Shun quickly dropped down and charged at Ember. She didn't have time to dodge his next attack so instead she pulled her head back and revealed her element. Shun was suddenly hit by a giant gust of wind. He was knocked back a bit, but he managed to get a grip on the floor. The rush of the wind made it hard for him to open his, but he managed to open them enough to see that Ember was the cause of the wind. Ignitus, Cyril, and Volteer were completely shocked to see that Ember was a wind dragon. Ember finally stopped using her element and was panting heavily, so was Shun. Before they could continue they were interrupted by Ignitus.

"Alright that enough," he said. They both looked at Ignitus. "Ember, Flame, you two are indeed strong. We are grateful to have you with us."

"Thanks you, sir," said Ember.

"Yeah thanks," replied Flame.

"That will conclude your training for today," said Ignitus, "Your all dismissed."

"Awesome," cheered Sparx, "so guys, how about a game of hide and seek?"

"That sounds like a great idea," replied Flame.

"Cool, just one condition…Spyro's it." With that everyone began to run off.

"Hey no fair," called Spyro.

"Start counting to one-hundred, big boy," replied Sparx as he ran off with the others. Spyro ran out of the training to start counting.

"To be young," said Volteer as he watched the young dragons leave.

"Yes, it's nice to see the young ones enjoy their childhood. Even with a war going on." replied Cyril.

Before Volteer said something he noticed that Ignitus looked upset.

"Ignitus…are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine," replied Ignitus, "it's just that…Shun should have controlled that match."

"Well, Ignitus, you can't expect him to win every time," said Cyril.

"Right, it's almost improbably for a dragon Shun's age to achieve such a feat," said Volteer.

"I do not expect him to always win," replied Ignitus, "but I do not want him to be thrown around like that; especially to someone with less experience than him."

"Well, judging from how she fought, I'd have to say that she's very experienced," said Cyril, "so is Flame." Cyril then placed his left claw on Ignitus' shoulder. "Don't be too hard on Shun. He's still a child after all. Give him time, he'll become much stronger than you think."

"Thank you," said Ignitus, "I needed to hear that."

"You're welcome." Cyril took his claw down and started walking out of the training room. "Now that we have some new students, rescuing Terridor should be a walk in the park."

"I wouldn't get over confident Cyril," said Volteer as he started walking out too, "the volcanic ash will make it hard to breathe, and the heat will make things unbearable."

"Why must you put depressing facts into everything? Can't you just, for once, have an open mind?"

"If I did that then my IQ will drop to your standards."

"Why you little…!"

Ignitus smiled as he saw his friends get into another argument. Instead of saying something, he simply shook his head and began walking out of the training room.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: I hope you enjoyed chapter 19. Just a little taste of what Ember and Flame are really like in a fight. I know its filler, but at least it was fun. Next chapter will begin the Terridor rescue, and I promise not to make it as long as the Cyril rescue. See ya later.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Hey slaps here. Well here is the next chapter. Like I said this the start of the Terridor rescue and no it won't be as long as the Cyril rescue. Enjoy.

Chapter 20

The sun had finally set behind the horizon. They were standing on the balcony as Ignitus debriefed the young dragons.

"Munitions Forge is an island dominated by an unstable volcano called Boyzitbig," said Ignitus. "Cynder took over the island, specifically, for the lava. She uses it to help create the weapons for her armies. As an added bonus, she has enslaved the natives of the island to work on the weapons."

"What are the natives called?" asked Spyro.

"They are called Manweresmalls."

"Are you making these up, old man?" said Sparx.

"Sparx, what did I tell you about being rude to Master Ignitus?" said Shun.

"Oh come on, I'm not the only one who thinks those names are ridiculous."

"Guys…" Spyro interrupted. Sparx and Shun looked at Spyro and saw that he was motioning his eyes to Ignitus. They both turned to see that Ignitus had a serious look on his face. Eyebrows close together, nostrils flared, and mouth slightly opened to reveal some of his teeth. Without a doubt he was upset. Sparx and Shun quickly apologized and kept quiet. Ignitus cleared his throat and continued.

"As I was saying, you five are to sneak into the island and rescue Terrador before Cynder can power her crystal. Is that clear?" Everyone nodded.

"Before they get going, Ignitus," interjected Cyril, "I would like to bring up something important. Do you mind?"

"No…go ahead."

"Thank you." Cyril then turned his attention towards the young ones. "Listen up, now that we have two new students that would officially make you a small squad. For every squad there is a squad leader. So…" before he could finish his sentence Flame had already raised his claw. He waved it desperately hoping to be picked. "Flame, you wish to be squad leader."

"I would love to," replied Flame.

"Well then, Flame, what sort of leadership experience have you had?" Flame put his arm down and thought for a moment.

"Well…none, but I'm sure I can do it if you give me a chance."

"Sorry, Flame, but this mission is too important." Flame looked down in disappointment. Cyril couldn't help but feel bad for the young dragon. "However, when things calm down I promise to give you a leadership position in future missions." Still upset, Flame lifted his head and gave a light hearted smile. "With that being said, Shun, you are acting leader. It's your first real mission since we got separated so bring them back safely."

"Yes sir." said Shun.

Within seconds all the young dragons took off into the sky with Shun at point. They made their way south towards a small orange glow in the distance.

It didn't take them long to reach Munitions Forge. About ten to fifteen minutes at most. As they approached they were amazed by the incredible power that the volcano emanated. Sending fire and ash into the sky. They looked down at the ground to see parts of it covered in lava. Around the island were what appear to be mining carts going into the volcano. Probably used to carry ores to certain places. Pipes also stuck out of the volcano with lava flowing out of them. No doubt to redirect so the apes can move more freely throughout the volcano. Machines were placed in small pools of lava. They seemed to be used to help direct the flow of the lava throughout the volcano.

Shun noticed that they were by the beach. Using the ash cloud as cover, he directed every down and landed by the water

"Why did we stop here?" asked Spyro. "Shouldn't we fly around looking for Terrador?"

"We don't want to be spotted remember," replied Shun. "It will be easier if we search on foot." Shun looked around and noticed tracks that lead into an opening on the side of a cliff. "Over there." He pointed to the cliff side. With Shun in front, everyone made their way inside the opening. Since they were on tracks they had to get out quickly incase a mine cart came through.

"Man it's hot!" asked Sparx.

"For once I agree with you." replied Spyro.

"I thinks it's kind of nice." said Flame.

"Well being a fire dragon, you would think that."

As they came out through the tunnel they jumped down to a small ledge to the right of them. They seemed to be in a pretty small crater in the side of the volcano. They surveyed their surroundings and saw a conveyor belt in the middle of crater. It led to the opposite side of the area into the cliff side which faced the volcano. On the conveyor were, what appeared to be, newly constructed weapons. They also saw different apes placing these weapons on the conveyor belt. Underneath them they saw much larger apes hammering swords, daggers, and other weapons that had just come out of the furnace. In front of them, past the conveyor belt, was a door that led into a mine. It was the only place they could go. Shun looked around and saw about ten apes in total.

"So how do we get around them?" asked Spyro.

"We can't, it's too open to sneak by." said Shun, "But there's not that many. Spyro and Ember, you two get the smaller apes. Flame and I will take the larger ones."

Everyone agreed and quickly jumped down. Ember and Spyro made quick work of the smaller apes, while Flame and Shun took care of the larger apes. As the last ape was taken care of they made their way into the mines. Spyro was the first to enter the mine with Sparx right next to him. The main entrance was rather big, with several passages that lead further into the volcano. In the middle of the mine was a rather small creature with a candle on his head. Spyro assumed that he was one of the Manweresmalls. As he approached him he made a rather obvious observation.

"Man he is small," he whispered to Sparx. As soon as he said that the small creature, which looked like a mole, turned around pulling a dagger.

"Who's there? Answer me?" said the mole in a French accent.

"The name's Spyro."

"And I'm the former God of Tall Plains, Sparx."

"Spyro," called Flame as he, Ember, and Shun came into the mines.

"Who is that with you?" asked the mole.

"These are my friends Flame and Ember," said Spyro, "and this is my brother Shun."

The strange creature then did something weird. He began circling each person and sniffed them. When he finished he spoke.

"Hmm, you don't reek of Cynder's forces so you must be friends."

"We are," answered Spyro, "so who are you?"

"I am Mole-Yair, leader of the Manweresmalls." He then lowered his head. "At least, I use to be."

"What do you mean?"

"It was my fault that my people became Cynder's slaves. I couldn't protect them, so I do not deserve that title."

"This wasn't your fault," said Ember, "I'm sure you did everything you could to protect them."

"Thank you," replied Mole-Yair.

"I'm sorry if this sounds rushed," said Flame, "but we were wondering if you know where our friend is."

"Is he a mighty dragon? Full of pride and glory."

"Yeah that's him," said Shun in an excited tone.

"Then I have indeed seen him."

"Great, where?" asked Spyro.

"Hold on a minute. This kind of information isn't cheap."

"Of course it's not," said Sparx, "when is it ever?"

"If you help me I will give you all the information you could possibly need."

"Let me guess, you want us to free you people from slavery right?"

"That's correct."

"Of course."

"I'm sorry," said Shun, "but we don't have time to get side tracked. We'll find him on our own. Let's go guys."

Shun began to walk off into a random direction until Mole-Yair stopped him.

"I wouldn't go in blind if I were you," he said.

"That's saying something," whispered Sparx.

"These mines are like giant mazes. Plenty of wrong turns and dead ends. I should know; I built most of them. If you want to find your friend, quickly, you're going to need my help."

"Shun, he makes a good point," said Spyro, "The longer we take looking for him, the sooner Cynder could power that crystal."

Shun gritted his teeth as he finally gave in.

"Fine, we'll help," said Shun reluctantly.

"Excellent," said Mole-Yair, "now, some of my people managed to escape underground. However, most are forced to mine materials for Cynder's weapons and armors."

"Wait," said Flame, "I thought all the materials came from Tall Plains."

"Not unless the volcano has its own deposits," said Shun.

"Yeah don't be stupid, Flame," said Sparx. Flame just gave him an annoyed look.

"Anyway," continued Mole-Yair, "I want you to free my people. Once you do that I'll tell you where your friend is."

"Fine," said Shun, "let's make this quick." Shun began to walk down one of the mines with the others close behind. As they rounded a corner of the mine they notice moles bound by a magical chain. The chain was attached to crystal. However, there would be apes guarding the moles; one in the middle of the mine and one at the end. There were moles of all ages. Some were old, some were middle aged, and some were even kids. As they continued to dig, one of the moles collapsed to the ground. One of the apes saw this and walked up to the mole.

"Get up and get back to work," grunted the ape.

"Please, sir," said the mole in a young female voice. "I've been working all day. May I please rest?"

"Aww, you want to rest?" The mole nodded. "Ok then." He then pulled out a folded whip. One of the moles saw this and began to plead with his friend.

"Amy, please…" he whispered. "You have to get up."

"Hey, this doesn't concern you. Get back to work!"

"Yes sir!"

The female mole tried to stand, but her body was screaming with every movement. She soon gave up and fell to back to the ground. The ape walked around her and now had his back facing the dragons.

"I guess I can allow you to rest. However, the longer you rest, the longer the whip comes out of retirement." As he said that, he rolled out the whip and let it drop to the floor. "Last chance." The female mole struggled to get up but couldn't. The ape pulled back his arm and hurled it in front of him. The whip followed as the tip quickly struck the moles back. She cried out in pain as the whip made contact. It managed to pierce through her clothes and leave a cut on her back. The ape pulled the whip back once again and continued to strike the mole over and over again.

Ember and Flame both turned away, not wanting to watch. Spyro and Shun were both bearing their teeth as they watched. Without thinking both Shun and Spyro jumped in to stop the injustice. As the whip came back Shun quickly grabbed it in his mouth, preventing it from moving. Before he could do anything, Spyro jumped up on him sinking his fangs into the ape's throat. The ape fell back and died instantly. The ape at the end of the mine turned to run until Spyro saw this. At a fit of rage he quickly jumped down of the ape and stomped his front claws down on the ground. A huge wall appeared in front the ape, blocking his escape. He turned to see an angry purple dragon staring at him. Spyro opened his mouth and shot an electric strike right at the ape's chest. It went right through its chest and pierced the wall behind it. The ape fell to the ground motionless. Spyro finally calmed down and witnessed what just happen. For the first time ever he had lost control. He was able to keep his composure when he was in Tall Plains, but lost it here. He must have built up anger from Tall Plains. Though that's not what he found the most interesting. He noticed the giant wall that was at the end of the wall. That wasn't there before.

"Spyro," said Shun, "are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine," replied Spyro.

"Dude, you totally lost it," said Sparx, "I mean I've never seen you that angry before. That was even scarier than the time dad got mad at us for sneaking out."

Spyro then turned his attention to the young mole. He walked over to her and tried to help her up.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, "thank you."

"My pleasure…let me get you out of here." He then destroyed the crystal that bounded her. He looked over to the other moles to see that Shun, Ember, and Flame were releasing the others as well. One of the moles walked over to Spyro.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"We're friends with Mole-Yair. We've come to help. Mole-Yair is waiting for you down that passage."

Everyone then made their way down the same passage that Spyro and the others came from. When everyone was out of sight, Spyro and the others started to go deeper into the mines and began to clear them out as well. Taking down guards as they went, and freeing and moles they saw. Along the way Shun would mark the walls with his claws so they wouldn't get lost. Once the mines were cleared out they made their way back to Mole-Yair hopefully to receive the information they need.

When they arrived they saw about thirty moles gathering around Mole-Yair. In front was Mole-Yair, counting to make sure everyone in the mines was out. When he finished he turned to see the dragons returning.

"You did it!" he cheered," Thank you very much!" He then hugged all of them as a sign of gratitude.

"Ok dude," said Sparx, "we got your people out safe and sound. Now it's time to hold up your end of the bargain."

"Yes, yes…I am a mole of my word. Your friend is being held near the labor camps where my brother, Exhumor, resides. Follow that passage and you'll make it to the labor camps. Find him and he will tell you where your friend is."

"Jeez, it's like a treasure hunt."

"I wish you all the best of luck in your quest." Mole-Yair then began to lead his people out of the mines to a more safe location. Before he left completely he called out to them one more time. "I hope we meet each other again someday." With that he was gone. Everyone turned to the passage Mole-Yair pointed to, before entering Shun marked it with his claws. They soon disappeared into the passage.

However, on a ledge nearby, stood a rather large figure. It watched as the young dragons enter the volcano. Once they were gone it scratched it's badly burnt right arm as flake of skin fell to the ground. It gave a small smirk and disappeared into the volcano as well.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that slew of chapter because this will be the last chapter of that flow. I will try my best to post them more regularly than I usually do. So don't expect the next bunch of chapters to be weeks away. Come back soon for chapter 21. Promise.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Hey slapstick here. Now that wasn't a bad wait was it? For being so patient I made this chapter longer. This is sure to be an exciting chapter for you guys. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 21

Everyone had been walking down the passage that Mole-Yair pointed to for some time now. Shun took lead with Ember next to him, Flame and Spyro following. Sparx couldn't take the quiet anymore so he decided to say something.

"Ok it looks like I have to be the one to say it. Did anyone else see the giant wall that appeared behind the ape or was that just me?"

"It's not just you, Sparx." said Ember. "I think Spyro created that wall."

"What makes you think that?" asked Flame.

"Well, the second Spyro stomped on the ground the wall came up."

"Oh come on that's just a coincidence."

"I don't think so, Flame." said Shun. "Spyro's just learned the earth element." Spyro's companions were stunned. To think that he learned a new element so quickly, it was just the other day that he was learning the ice element.

"So I learned earth huh?" said Spyro curiously. "I never thought I'd pick up on it so quickly."

"You think you can do it again?" asked Sparx.

Spyro tried to do what he did before. He used his front claws and repeatedly stomped on the ground to try and create another wall. He would stomp with his front claws, jump back on his hind legs, and jump back down on his front claws again. The whole thing made him quite silly but he kept at it. However, he found himself having trouble.

"Huh? I can't seem to do it." He looked up to see everyone laughing at his antics. "What's so funny?"

"You looked ridiculous," said Sparx.

"I have to agree with Sparx on that one," said Flame.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up," said Spyro with a smirk. "I just don't get why I can't use it now..."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it now," said Shun. "Once we get master Terridor back he'll teach you everything."

They continued to walk until they finally reached the end of the mine. As they emerged they noticed that the volcano was to the left of them, and a rather large ledge was to their right. Above them they saw mine tracks that lead around the ledge and further into the volcano. This was the only accessible route.

They then flew up and followed the tracks all the way down to the entrance of the cave. They waited for a moment until all the cars had passed before entering. As they walked they saw many different kinds of what appear to be honeycombs. Many beetles would fly in and out of them as they passed. At times they would attack the young dragons, but Spyro and Flame's fire would make quick work of them. As they continued through the cave they soon reached the mouth. Standing there was another mole.

"Hello?" said Spyro as he approached. The mole quickly turned and raised a shovel over his head. Spyro quickly backed up while Shun took a defensive stance. "Whoa, wait a minute. We're on your side."

"Ha, like I would believe that!" said the mole in the same accent as Mole-Yair.

"No it's true!" said Flame, "We're friends!"

"A likely story. For all I know you could be spy's for Cynder!"

"We're not, honest!" pled Ember hiding behind Shun.

"I'm not falling for it. Prepare yourselves." The mole jumped into action. He swung his shovel trying to hit Spyro. Before he could make contact, Shun pushes the mole into the wall. He placed one claw on the mole's face and another on his left arm. Shun began to growl viciously. This terrified the mole as he began to shake.

"Shun, let him go, he didn't mean it," said Spyro. "We need him to help us find Terridor."

Shun hesitated for a moment. "Drop it!" he ordered.

He quickly let go of the shovel. Flame then walked up and pulled the shovel away. With the mole unarmed, Shun let go of the mole and walked over to Spyro. The mole panted heavily.

"You spared me." He said. "None of Cynder's forces would have spared me. I guess I'm safe to assume that you're not one of them."

"Yeah dude," said Sparx, "that's what they tried to tell you. Jeez, is everyone in your family this hostile?"

"What do you mean everyone in my family?"

"Well," said Spyro, "your brother, Mole-Yair, told us where to find you."

The news came as a shock to the mole.

"My brother…is…alive." It was too much to take. He soon fell to his knees and began crying. "I heard…that he had died trying to escape."

"I can assure you he's still alive." said Flame. The mole whipped away the tears and got back to his feet.

"That's great to hear. I'm sorry for attacking you earlier. These damn apes have me on edge, although had you said his name earlier, that unpleasantness could have been avoided. The names Exhumor."

"It alright," said Spyro, "my name is Spyro. These are my friends Flame and Ember, and these are my brothers Shun and Sparx."

"It's nice to meet you all."

"Yes, it's nice to meet a crazed mole with a shovel." said Sparx.

"Sparx!" yelled Spyro.

"No, I'm being serious. It's better than meeting a crazed mole with a dagger." Exhumor began to chuckle at what Sparx had said.

"That's definitely my brother alright." he said.

"You must have a weird sense of humor because it wasn't funny to me," said Sparx crossing his arms.

"Alright enough, Sparx." said Shun interrupting the conversation. He soon turned his attention to Exhumor. "Mole-Yair said that you could help find our friend."

"He wouldn't happen to be a big and powerful dragon would he?" asked Exhumor.

"Sounds about right." Said Shun.

"Then I know exactly where he is. However…"

"Here we go," said Sparx throwing up his arms.

"I will only help if you can help free the rest of the Manweresmalls." Exhumor pointed out the mouth of the mine, and towards the labor camps Mole-Yair talked about. There were many cages scattered around, with apes on guarding them.

"What are we waiting for," said Flame. He was about to fly out when Exhumor stopped him.

"Hold on a second," he said, "why go in fighting when we could just wait. Their break will start shortly. You'll be able to go through with no problems."

"Wait here?" asked Sparx. "Um…aren't there mine cars that come through here?"

"Don't worry. It's the end of the day. The last of the carts was just sent out."

"Well isn't that convenient."

"How do you know all this?" asked Ember.

"I've been keeping track of the schedules. I soon picked up on when the apes went on break, and when mine cars were sent out. We'll just wait here until the apes go on their brake."

As they sat Flame, Spyro, and Sparx were having their own conversation on one part of the mine. While Shun and Ember sat on the other. Exhumor sat by himself eyeing Shun. He soon got up and walked over to Shun.

"May I speak with you, alone?" he said. Shun nodded and gestured Ember to leave them alone. As she moved over to Spyro and Flame, Exhumor sat next to Shun.

"I would like to apologize for my actions before," he said.

"It's alright," said Shun, "It's hard to trust strangers now-a-days."

"Yeah I guess you're right." Exhumor looked over at Spyro. "I'm guessing he's the little brother?"

"What?" asked Shun not hearing the question.

"The purple one," Exhumor pointed to Spyro, "he's the little brother, no?"

"Yeah," replied Shun a little shocked, "how did you know?"

"Only a big brother would rush in the way you did. I should know, being one myself."

"Really? I thought Mole-Yair was the oldest since he's leader."

"I didn't want the job, so Mole-Yair took it, but that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Well what _did_ you want to talk about?"

"Do you two fight at all?"

"No, not really."

"Well when it happens, and trust me it will, keep one thing in mind. Always be there for him. When you fight never let him think you hate him. Before Mole-Yair escaped we had a really nasty fight. I said some things that I didn't mean. After the rumor spread that he died…I regretted that fight."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Shun looked at him a little confused.

"I just don't want you to make the same mistake I did. Life can quickly take your brother away. So show him that you'll always be there for him."

"Thanks for the advice."

Suddenly their attention was averted back to the labor camp. They heard one of the apes say that it was the end of their shift. Soon all the apes in the camp began to move to a different location. Once they were all gone Exhumor spoke.

"Quickly," he said, "we have five minutes until new apes take their place."

They all jumped down and made their way to the cages. Exhumor approached a cage and the occupants were ecstatic to see him.

"Exhumor!" called on of the moles. Exhumor put a finger over his mouth and shushed them. "I can't believe you're here!"

"Don't worry," said Exhumor, "I'm going to get you out."

Exhumor grabbed a rather large rock and struck the lock multiple times until it finally broke. The cage door opened and he was greeted by a female mole hugging and kissing him. He got her off and turned to see other moles crowding in front of him. He proceeded to count them and found that there were thirty moles that have been freed.

"That's all of them." said Exhumor.

"Ok we held up our end of the bargain," said Sparx. "Give us the info so we can get this over with."

"Sparx, can you go one day without being so caustic?" asked Spyro.

"Hey, it's my thing. Without that I'm nothing."

"Don't worry," said Exhumor, "I did not forget about our arrangement. Just go through that door there and follow the path. It will lead you to your friend, but be careful. The Conductor and his locomotive are sure to be close by."

"Who's the Conductor?" asked Flame.

"He is the one in charge of Munitions Forge."

"Thank you for your help," said Spyro.

"I should be the one thanking you. You didn't have to help us but you did. For that I am eternally great full."

"It was no problem at all."

Exhumor bowed his head and began taking his fellow Manweresmalls to safety. Before disappearing into the mines he looked back at the dragons.

"Maybe we'll meet again someday." With that he and the rest of the moles were out of sight.

The dragons turned to the door that Exhumor pointed to. As they entered Shun felt that someone was following them. He turned to see that no one was there.

"Shun, is everything ok?" asked Ember.

"Yeah…I just thought someone was…never mind." Shun turned back around and walked into the mines. When the door closed, the same figure from before stepped out of the shadows. It smirked slightly and disappeared once again into the shadows.

The dragons have been walking for a few minutes now. It seemed like a straight shot. They would come across a few apes here and there, but it didn't slow them down. However, they soon came to a fork in the path.

"Looks like mole boy forgot to tell us about this little problem," said Sparx.

"Which way should we go?" asked Ember.

"That way!" both Spyro and Flame said in unison while pointing in different directions.

"We don't have time to guess," said Shun. "There's only one choice. We'll have to split up."

"I'm going with Shun," said Ember as she quickly ran to Shun's side.

"Ember, can you go one day without acting like a squealing fan girl," said Flame.

"It's alright, Flame," said Shun, "I was actually going to have Ember come with me."

"You were?" everyone said in unison.

"Yes, I was. Flame, Spyro, Sparx, you three go to the left. We'll go to the right. If you don't find anything, come back and go down the other path. We'll meet up again."

"Got it," said Flame.

"Also, Flame, make sure you keep Spyro safe."

"Don't worry dude. I'll make sure he comes back with at least three of his legs." Flame puffed out his chest as he made the joke to show how confident he was. However, Shun didn't find it funny. Shun instantly bared his teeth and growled violently at Flame. Hearing this, Flame quickly pulled back into a submissive stance.

"Kidding, I was kidding. I'll make sure he stays safe," said Flame in a panicked tone.

"You better," said Shun maintaining a scowl on his face. "Let's go Ember." Without question she quickly ran next to him. The two disappeared into the right path.Spyro smiled and shook his head at the event that just took place. Sparx was trying his hardest to keep from laughing, knowing how embarrassing that was for Flame. Though, that didn't stop him from having a little fun.

"Man I was sure he was going to tear into you," said Sparx. "Look man, I know you're new here but let me give you one piece of advice. Never piss Shun off."

"Duly noted," said Flame still a bit shaken. "I guess he can't take a joke."

"He can," said Spyro, "it's just he becomes a little over protective of me." Spyro saw that Flame was still a little bit freaked out about Shun's hostility, so he decided to get Flame's mind of it. "Come on, we should find Terridor before it's too late."

"Yeah," said Sparx, "the sooner we find him the sooner we can get out of this oven. I could fry an egg on my abs."

"What abs?" said Spyro with a grin.

"This coming from the fat one of the group," Sparx quickly retorted.

"Very funny."

They began to follow the path that they were given. As they would follow the path they would come across their usual strand of apes as they made more armor for Cynder's forces. They would make quick work of the apes and continue down the path. After about twenty minutes of waking they were prepared to turn back when Spyro insisted that they keep going for a few more minutes. Reluctantly, the others agreed. After a few more minutes of walking they came across a ledge. The approached it and looked down. They had come across a rather large crater. With train tracks that circled it. There were also tracks that made a cross in the center of the crater; creating a short cut through the circle. On far side of the crater, in the corner, was the person they were looking for, Terridor, asleep. He was trapped inside a large purple sphere with metal wrapped around it. Also a large metal fence was in front of him. To the right of Terridor, on a nearby wall, was large metal door. Almost like the one they've been walking into but much larger than the other.

They jumped and flew down into the crater, land just a few feet in front of the metal fence. Flame couldn't help but become star struck. Terridor was the most renowned guardian. He saved countless lives during the war. He was most famed for saving thousands in the Battle of Avalar. He was also famed for being one of the greatest teachers to ever walk their world, next to Ignitus of course. Thousands of young dragons dreamed to be trained by him, Flame being one of them.

"Flame," said Sparx waving his hands in Flame's face. Flame quickly snapped out of his daze.

"Sorry," he said, "just a little star struck."

Spyro walked close to fence and tried to wake up the sleeping dragon.

"Excuse me, Terridor," said Spyro. Terridor slowly opened his eyes. He lifted his head and looked down at the young dragons. He was completely surprised by Spyro's appearance.

"It can't be," said Terridor in a low, booming voice, "the purple dragon lives."

"My name is Spyro, sir."

"I'm Flame, and let me tell you that it's an honor to meet you, sir. I've heard so many stories about you and your accomplishments. I'm a huge fan."

"Easy, Flame," said Spyro.

"Sorry."

"My turn," said Sparx, "my name is Sparx. I'm the former God of Tall Plains."

"Well it's nice to meet you all," said Terridor, "especially you, Spyro. You cannot believe how happy I was when rumors of the purple dragon reached me. Let me ask you something, in knowing my location, does that mean you've met with Ignitus?"

"Yes we have." replied Spyro.

"Then that means you've met Shun."

"Yes, we met him too."

"Even though it wasn't a friendly greeting," said Sparx.

"I hate to be a spoil sport," said Flame, "but I think we should get Terridor out of here."

"You're right," said Spyro, "we'll get you out, Terridor."

"There's no point," Terridor replied, "This sphere can only be opened with a special gem. Unfortunately…"

"Let me guess," said Sparx, "that gem is with the Conductor."

"Yes…how did you know?"

"With the way our luck is going it wasn't hard."

"Terridor," said Spyro, "let me ask you something. Has your energy been drained at all?"

"No," replied Terridor. Flame and Spyro looked at each other with smiles.

"That means we got here before her," said Flame.

Suddenly, their attention was diverted when the giant metal door against the wall flew open. However, nothing came out. The dragons slowly walked in front of it. As they looked they saw something fly out of it. As it landed in front of them Flame knew what it was. A stick of dynamite had been thrown. Flame quickly tackled Spyro as it detonated, causing a huge amount of black smoke. They were standing in front far away from the smoke, standing on the tracks.

"Are you all alright?" called Terridor.

"Yeah we're fine," said Flame. They then began to feel the tracks vibrate rapidly. They also heard something approaching them. They looked at the smoke waiting for what was coming. It got louder and louder, and the tracks vibrations got stronger and stronger. Suddenly a giant train came barreling through the smoke. Spyro and Flame both jumped off the tracks to different sides. The train came to a halt on the outer ring of the tracks. The Conductor was soon revealed. He wasn't very big. He was a normal sized ape who wore a conductor's hat. There was also a purple gem around his neck.

"I had a feeling that those moles couldn't have escaped by themselves!" said the Conductor. "I knew that they had to have been dragons coming to save their precious friend."

"Listen!" said Spyro. "We don't want to fight. Just give us the gem and we won't hurt you."

"Hurt me." The Conductor began to laugh at the notion. "It's you who should be begging me no to hurt you. There's no way out of this. Tonight, you dragons die."

"If that's how you want to play, then fine," said Flame getting into a fighting stance. "Get ready, Spyro. This is not going to be easy."

_Meanwhile…_

Shun and Ember made their way through the path they chose. It was eerily quiet, and they hadn't stumbled upon any apes at all. It struck Shun as odd but he wasn't paying much attention since Ember kept talking.

"So my dad's a real hard ass," she said, "he would always get mad over everything, but he's sweet."

"Uh huh," said Shun giving her a small sign like he was listening. However, Ember noticed this quickly.

"You don't really care, do you?" She looked down a little hurt. Shun looked back and felt bad.

"It's not that," he said, "I just got a lot on my mind. I'm sorry."

"It's ok…I guess I shouldn't bore you."

"Hey," he turned to look at her. "You're not boring. In fact you're quite fun, when you want to be." Ember smiled at the complement.

"Thanks." There was a small pause as things got quieter.

"So," said Shun breaking the silence, "about your mother?" They began to continue down the path while Ember spoke.

"Well my mom is just as hard as my dad, but she does it in a different way. She wouldn't get as mad as my dad, but she would give me lectures. Even though my parents are strict, I know they only do it because they love me; so enough about my parents, tell me about yours."

Shun stopped immediately and turned to look at her.

"I really don't like to talk about my folks."

"Were your parents mean or something? You can tell me." Shun sighed under his breath.

"They died." Ember was taken aback by that statement.

"I-I'm sorry," she said walking next to him. "I didn't know."

"It's ok."

"How…how did they die?"

"I'm sorry…I just don't like talking about it." He looked at her and gave her a little smile. "Come we should keep looking."

They continued down the path until they came to a small area. It had various machines scattered around, all were broken. It was obviously a scrap yard. Above them was a hole in the roof that led to the outside. They were about to continue onward when they heard chatter coming right for them. They quickly jumped behind a machine to hide. Two apes came into the area and stopped.

"Man I'm sick of this." said one of the apes.

"I know what you mean." said the other.

"How long do we have to pretend that we don't know those dragons are here?" Ember and Shun both gasped at what they said.

"I don't know but we have orders."

"Yeah, but they're stupid."

"What are they talking about, Shun?" whispered Ember. Shun quickly shushed her.

"Look," said the more in control ape, "she just needs to determine the threat of the dragons. We won't have to pretend for long."

"I just wish we could have faced them. I would have loved to kick some dragon ass."

"You and me both."

"Wish granted." The apes turned to see Shun standing behind him. He pulled back his head and fired a dark blast at them. They screamed at the top of their lung until they were surrounded by the attack. Ember came out from hiding and walked over to Shun.

"They knew we were here this whole time." said Shun under his breath.

"Shun," said Ember, "What's going on? Who's she?"

"Fly back to the temple and get help!" ordered Shun.

"Why? What's going on?"

"They knew we were here the second we landed, and it get's worse. Cynder's here."

Ember gasped at what Shun said.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive, they said she. The only she that's in charge is Cynder. Look we don't have time for this. Fly back to the temple and get help."

Ember nodded and flew up towards the hole in the roof. Before leaving she turned around.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'm going to stay here and find the others. Now go, hurry!" Ember flew out through the roof and made her way to the temple. Shun turned and sprinted as fast as he could back down the path. _"Hang on Spyro,"_ he thought, _"I'm coming!"_

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Uh oh, looks like troubles brewing. I hope you guys enjoyed it. It took longer to make than I thought. The next chapter will be up as soon as possible. See you soon.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Hey slaps here. Well the next chapter is up already. Unlike the last chapter, this one is packed with action and suspense. I hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter 22

The Conductor began to follow the tracks that circled the area. Flame ran in and shot a fire blast at the large machine. It hit the train on the side. However, the train's metal made it strong against fire.

"Damn," said Flame, "fire's not going to do it."

Spyro looked at the train carefully. He noticed that the train's underbelly was exposed from the back. "Flame," called Spyro, "aim for the back of the train."

Flame managed to get behind the train and fired a shot. It hit the exposed piece. It slowed down the train but it didn't stop it. It was definitely a weak spot, but it would be tricky. The Conductor turned onto the tracks that were facing Spyro. He gave it more speed as he was heading straight for him. Spyro quickly jumped out of the way when he realized that he was still on the tracks. The Conductor stopped the train just short from running off the tracks. Flame took this opportunity and shot another fire attack at the exposed part. The Conductor pulled out a piece of dynamite and through it at the attack. They met half way and the dynamite exploded. The Conductor was able to get the train rolling again as it circled the area. As the train started to move again, Spyro got an idea. He got close to train and fired an ice blast onto the wheels. He kept it up until the ice completely covered the wheels. It slowed the train down greatly.

"Good work," said Flame as he flew next to Spyro.

"You naïve dragons," laughed The Conductor. "You honestly think I didn't come prepared." He then pressed a button. Soon, spikes came out of the wheels and shattered the ice that surrounded them.

"Damn," said Spyro.

"Don't worry," said Flame, "as long as we stay off the tracks we should be fine."

"I wouldn't be too sure," said The Conductor. "I've come prepared for that too." He then pulled a lever. The wheels remained on the track while the upper part of the train began to rotate. Soon, a cannon came out of front of the train. He pulled a ripcord and shot at Flame and Spyro. They quickly jumped out the way. The Conductor kept firing shots, one after the other. Spyro and Flame kept avoiding every attack. Flame then took to the air.

"Get in the air!" called Flame. "He can't get us if we're in the air!"

Spyro followed him and jumped up into the air. Flame was right. The cannon was definitely stationary only to the front of the train.

"Impudent, little brats," said The Conductor with a laugh, "how many times do I have to tell you?" The Conductor then pulled a switch. Out of the sides of the train came odd looking machines. The appear to be arrow launchers, but they were built different. There were four apes that manned the launchers, two on each side. "I come prepared for everything!" Two of the apes began to turn a wheel on the machines as the other two would direct it. Arrows were shooting out one after the other in a rapid fire manner.

"Holy crap!" yelled Flame. Both dragons began to fly around to try and avoid the arrows. No matter where they went the arrows would follow. One arrow flew past Flame. When it did, Flame lost his balance and flew right into the wall. He fell to the ground hard.

"One down," said The Conductor.

"Flame!" called Spyro worried. The Conductor noticed that Spyro's attention was diverted so he took the opportunity. While the launchers were reloading, he lit a stick of dynamite and through it at the unsuspecting dragon.

"Spyro look out!" yelled Sparx by Terrador. Spyro turned to see the dynamite coming right at him. He froze as he didn't know what to do. Suddenly he had a flashback to Shun's training, and his solution to win. Using the flat end of his tail blade, he deflected the dynamite before it could explode; sending it back to the train. It flew to one of the launchers and detonated, destroying the launcher and killing two of the apes. The force of the explosion almost knocked the train off the tracks. When the other launcher was loaded it began to fire, once again, at Spyro. He began to fly to avoid the arrows. However, one stray arrow managed to clip him in the arm. The sudden shock sent Spyro all to the ground. He landed hard on the tracks. He looked up to see the train barreling towards him. Suddenly, something came over him. Without thinking he got up, ignoring the pain, and stomped his front claws down on the ground. A gigantic wall appeared in front of him, blocking the path of the train. The Conductor quickly pulled a lever to apply the breaks. There was a deafening screech that filled the air as the train's breaks struggled to stop. Fortunately, the train was going to fast to stop. It crashed into the wall forcefully. Spyro jumped out of the way as the train forced its way through the wall. The train derailed, and started to violently flip and skid on the ground. It crashed into the crater wall with its underbelly revealed.

Terridor was completely awestruck by what he had just witnessed. Spyro was able to complete a move that many dragons took months to learn.

The Conductor crawled on top of the train to see that it was completely totaled. He also saw the launcher lying on the far side of the crater, and the apes operating it dead. His blood began to boil out of spite for the dragons that destroyed his train and killed his operators. He climbed down into the train and began to search for something.

Flame had recovered from his injury and walked over to Spyro.

"Good work man," he said.

"Thanks," replied Spyro, "I wish I could say it was easy."

The Conductor began to climb back out of the train was now on top of it. He had something odd wrapped around his arms. From his elbows to his wrists was a somewhat large metal cylinder. Along the metal cylinder were clear tubing's that wrapped around his forearm. From his wrists to his finger tips he wore black, leather gloves. He jumped down from the train and walked closer to the dragons. He was now standing a few feet away from the dragons.

"It's over Conductor," said Spyro. "You've lost."

"Now just hand over the gem and you can leave with your dignity in tact." stated Flame.

The conductor began to laugh quietly then grew louder and louder. It was like he had gone insane.

"You honestly think that my train is my only means of combat?" said The Conductor.

"That's what I was thinking, yes." said Flame.

"Well maybe you should start listening more!" gloated The Conductor. He then pulled out two blue crystals. He pushed a button on both brasses. A small hole opened in them and he dropped the crystals into the holes. The tubing's around the brasses began to glow the same blue the crystals did. There was even frost coming from the tubing's. "I've said it once and I'll say it again. I always come prepared."

"You still want to fight? Fine," said Flame. He lifted his head and shot a fire blast at The Conductor. He just simple stepped to the right and avoided the attack. It flew by and struck the underbelly of the train. Within seconds of hitting, the train exploded. Fire and smoke flew into the sky creating an awe inspiring scene. Spyro charged in moving at great speed. He lifted his right claw and attacked The Conductor, aiming for the head. The Conductor ducked, and quickly brought up his right knee into Spyro's stomach; causing Spyro to gag from the impact. While he was still a few inches of the ground, The Conductor brought his hands together in a ball, raised them above his head, and brought them down on Spyro's back. Spyro fell to the ground, hard. While lying there, The Conductor grabbed Spyro's tail and threw him towards the metal fence that held Terrador. In a split second, Flame charged in. He did a front flip and used his tail like a whip. The Conductor jumped back as the tail missed and made contact with the ground.

"Spyro, are you ok?" asked Terrador.

"Yeah," Spyro said struggling to get up, "I'm fine." Spyro looked up to see Flame going head to head with The Conductor. Spyro rejoined the battle and began to attack along side with Flame. However, they seemed to be having trouble taking him down. For every attack they would through, The Conductor would either dodge or block them. Spyro then jumped back and told Flame to get out of the way. Flame quickly jumped up into the air. Spyro tilted his head back and was about to fire a lightning strike. The Conductor saw that Spyro was in a stance for electric dragons. So he quickly pressed a button on one of the cylinders. The tubing began to grow much brighter than before. He pulled his left arm back and revealed the secret of the metal cylinders. He moved his arm forward and shot an ice spike at the same time as Spyro launched his lightning strike. The two attacks met in the middle and exploded, creating a giant cloud of ice and debris. Everyone was surprised to see that The Conductor was able to manipulate the ice element.

"How in the hell?" said Terrador.

Through the cloud three more ice spikes came barreling through. Spyro quickly jumped into the air to avoid the spikes. He looked at Flame as they both were confused at how The Conductor was using the ice elements.

"Confused?" he asked. "Let me explain. You see we've collected energy from that ice dragon in Tall Plains and harness some of it into crystals. These Cylinders allow me to manipulate the energy and use it for my own will; for instance."

He curled both his hands into fists and put them together in front of his body. He began to pull his two fists apart and ice began to form in the middle. When he finished he created an ice javelin. He pulled back and threw the javelin at Flame. Flame just dodged the attack and flew straight at The Conductor. When he was close he used his right claw to attack. The Conductor jumped into the air to avoid the attack. He then came down hard onto Flame's back. Flame struggled to get up as The Conductor put all his weight on the foot he held the red dragon under. Flame looked back to see that The Conductor's whole right arm was becoming incased in ice, with his hand in a sharp point. Flame closed his eyes wait for his fate. The Conductor was about to finish Flame off when he was suddenly hit on the side, sending skidding across the area. Flame looked to see a small earth pillar, angled, on his side. Spyro ran over to him.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah I'm fine," replied Flame.

"I think I have an idea to beat him."

"Lay it on me."

"He may be manipulating ice, but it's still ice. All we need to do is combine our fire attacks. There's no way he can beat us."

"That's a good plan, but don't forget we need to get that key around his neck."

"Well if you don't want to come to me," said The Conductor as he created two ice swords in each hand. "Then I'll come to you!" He charged at them wildly. He swung his left sword trying to taking off Spyro's head. Spyro ducked and jumped back a bit. Flame took the chance and used his tail blade to hit The Conductor. He simply used his ice swords to block the attack. The Conductor pulled back and lunged for with his swords. Flame jumped back to avoid the attack. The Conductor turned just in time to see Spyro try to attack from behind. The Conductor swung his right sword and slashed Spyro cross the cheek, leaving a rather large cut. When Spyro landed he saw that the swords were melting a bit. So Spyro used his claws and attacked to swords, shattering them to pieces. The Conductor didn't let that bother him as he raised his left foot and hit Spyro as hard as he could in the nose. Spyro was sent flying back a few feet. Just then Flame placed his claws on The Conductor's shoulders and charged a fire attack. The Conductor quickly struck Flame in the stomach with his elbow, preventing Flame from attack. The Conductor then grabbed Flame from behind and flipped him around so he was in front. The Conductor jumped into the air, and turned his body. Right as Flame was standing up he was greeted with a foot to the face sending him flying back to where Spyro was. Both struggled to get back onto their feet. The Conductor began laughing at their efforts.

"Why don't you just give up?" he said. "You can't beat me. I'm always…"

"Prepared we got it," said Flame irritated. "Though there is one thing you're not prepared for."

Spyro was now on his feet smirking. He moved his tail into clear view and revealed that the gem was on his tail. The Conductor looked down at his neck to see that the gem was gone. He looked back up in shock.

"When did you…?" said The Conductor.

"When you kicked him," said Flame, "he used his tail to grab the gem, and I was to distract you so you wouldn't notice."

"Were you prepared for that?" asked Spyro with a grin. "Let's finish this, Flame. Don't hold back." Flame nodded and they both pulled their heads back. The Conductor knew what they were doing. He slammed his hands down on the ground and created a thick shield in front of him. The dragons shot their fire blast at The Conductor. Their fires began to combine as it flew through the air. It struck the ice shield, and at first it seemed to be hold. However, the heat from the attack mixed with the heat from the volcano melt some of the shield. It soon gave way as the fire blast shattered the shield. The explosion that came from it plunged a giant shard of ice into The Conductor's stomach. The force sent him flying back a few feet. When the dust settled, The Conductor lied on the ground bleeding out. The shard stuck out of his stomach, and he coughed up blood.

"It's over," said Flame. The second he said that, someone jumped down from a high point and landed in front of The Conductor. He gave the dragons a serious look before turning. The Conductor looked at the unknown person with a smile. It was obvious he knew him.

"Moore," said The Conductor through a gag. He lifted his hand asking for help. The one called Moore just looked at him with disgust.

"You failed us," he said. He placed a foot over the melting shard and pushed down. The shard went further into The Conductor. He screamed in pain as the shard pierced other organs and vital arteries. Soon his screams were silent as his body went limp. Within seconds he was dead.

Everyone watched in horror as one of The Conductor's friends actually killed him. Moore bent down over The Conductor's body, and took the two blue crystals that were in the metal Cylinders. While he did that, Spyro noticed something about Moore. His right arm had third degree burns on it. There was only one ape he knew with those kinds of burns.

"Hey!" he called. "You're that ape who attack me and Sparx, aren't you?" Moore stood up to look at Spyro. He gave a small smirk before speak.

"You have a good memory," said Moore. "From the looks of it you've gotten stronger from our last encounter."

"Well this time I'll make sure you don't come back." Spyro charged at Moore. He quickly slashed at Moore with his right claw. However, Moore was too fast for Spyro. He quickly jumped into the air and landed on one of the walls.

"In good time, young dragon. Until we meet again." Moore then jumped behind the wall. Spyro was about to take off after him when he was stopped.

"Spyro hold on!" called Flame. "We'll deal with him some other time. Right now we need to worry about Terrador." Spyro reluctantly nodded and walked over to Terrador. Spyro placed the gem on the sphere. It began to glow brighter and brighter until finally it shatters. Terridor flew over the metal fence and landed hard.

"It feels good to be free," he said stretching his wings. "I must thank you young ones. Without you I may have been locked up in there forever."

"You're welcome, sir." said Spyro.

"I'm very impressed with the way you two handled yourself. The other guardians trained you well. Especially you, Spyro, not even a well trained earth dragon could pick up what you did so quickly."

"Thank you, sir." said Spyro with huge grin.

"Now we must depart before Cynder's forces come."

"Actually, sir, we can't leave." Said Flame.

"Why not?" asked Terrador.

"Shun and another one of friends named Ember are still here," said Flame. "We need to find them."

"I see."

"Terrador, sir," said Spyro, "why don't you fly back to the temple and we'll go look for the others."

"Oh come on," said Sparx, "Do we really have to stay here even longer?"

"Yes, Sparx. We can't just leave them here."

"Shun's a big boy he can handle himself."

"Sparx…"

"Fine…"

"Very well," said Terrador, "but hurry to the temple when you find them." With that Terridor took to the skies. Spyro, Flame, and Sparx were just about to leave when they saw black flames hit Terridor in the chest. He began to plummet back down. He soon crashed into the fence that trapped him, destroying it completely.

"Terrador!" called Spyro.

"Oh man, now what?" said Sparx.

"Leaving so soon?" said a mysterious female voice. "I was hoping we could have some fun." Everyone looked up to see a black dragoness with a red underbelly flying over head. She had bracelets on her wrists and ankles. She wore a choker around her neck as well a large purple crystal.

"Who the heck is that?" asked Sparx fearful.

"That's Cynder," answered Terrador as he struggled to even move.

"That's Cynder?" said Flame. Cynder flew down and proceeded to walk towards Terrador. Flame then charged at her. "Stop right there!" Cynder simply ducked and Flame jumped right over her. When he landed he quickly turned to face her. He pulled back his head and shot a fire blast at her. Cynder deflected it simply with her wing.

"You're a brave little one," she said, "however; bravery can and will get you killed." She pulled her head back ready to fire. Terrador quickly hit his claw on the ground. Suddenly, a huge wall appeared in front of Flame. Cynder shot black flames at the wall. The second it hit the wall was completely destroyed. Flame was pushed back by the blast and fell unconscious. Spyro watched in fear at the kind of power that Cynder had. How she was able to destroy the wall without even trying terrified him. She gave Spyro a quick glance and that was just enough to send shivers down his spine. His legs began to shake, his heart raced, and stomach turned. He was scared, and he wanted to run away but couldn't.

"_I'm supposed to defeat her?"_ he thought.

Cynder then turned her attention back to Terrador. He was still struggling to get up from the attack. Cynder took this chance and pounced on the earth dragon. She stood over him while he lied on his back. She gave him a little smile.

"It's a shame really," she said still holding the smile.

"What are you talking about?" asked Terrador scowling.

"I thought The Earth Guardian would put up a better fight. Oh well, a girl can dream." She then took the purple crystal around her neck and placed it on Terridor's chest. It started glow brighter and brighter. Cynder then began to pull back. As she did Terrador began to scream a horrendously as a green stream came out of his chest and into the crystal. Cynder laughed slightly to herself. Spyro's fear grew even more as she watched Cynder torture Terrador. The horrendous scream, the evil face Cynder made, and the thought of having to face her was terrifying. When the crystal took everything it needed it finished glowing. Terridor held onto his chest and started to writhe in pain, completely exhausted from having his energy stolen. Cynder placed the crystal back around her neck. She looked at the earth dragon and smiled at the pain she caused.

"Thanks for the energy big boy," said Cynder with a grin. "There's just one more loose end to tie up." She turned her attention back to Spyro and began to approach him. Her feet barely making a sound as she approached him. She leaned down to get at eye level with him. Her eyes began to glow fire red. Spyro started to back up slowly out of fear. However, he couldn't find it in him to run. She soon backed him up against a wall. There was no where to back up. He stared at the terrifying dragon, shaking with fear. Sparx kept pulling on Spyro's horn trying to get him to move run.

"Spyro come on," he said. "You can't just stand there shaking, you have to move." No use, he was still frozen refusing to budge. Sparx looked at Cynder then at Spyro. _"Looks like it's your time to shine."_ He then flew up to Cynder and made his light ten times brighter then before. He got up close to her eyes. Cynder squinted and moved her head to try and see. For the moment, she was blind. Sparx turned to look at Spyro. "Spyro, now's your chance, run!" He the looked back over to Cynder. He made sure that she stayed blinded until Spyro could snap out of it. Everywhere her head went he would go. "What's the matter? Cant catch what you can't see?" Cynder finally had enough. She opened her mouth and bit down trying to eat him. Sparx quickly moved back. However, this means that Cynder can see again. She lifted her right are and swatted Sparx away, knocking him into the wall.

"Sparx!" called Spyro as he finally snapping out. He tried to run over to aid his brother when he was stopped by Cynder's tail. She had plunged her tail blade into the wall to stop his path. Her body faced side ways so she could pull it of.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked. She pulled out the tail blade and raised it above the purple dragon. The fear soon crept back into Spyro as he, once again couldn't move.

"Help…" he said under his breath. Though not soft enough since Cynder could here him.

"No one can save you." She said. "You're friends are incapacitated and the earth dragon doesn't have enough energy. You're all alone."

"Someone, please…Ignitus, Cyril, Volteer," his heart pounded with every name. He knew that the other guardians couldn't save him in time. There was only one person who would help. "Shun…help," he said quietly.

"Say your prayers." Cynder was ready to plunge her tail blade into the quivering dragon. In one last plea, Spyro yelled at the top of his voice.

"SHUN!"

"Spyro!" Right on queue, Shun came flying from the entrance that Spyro and Flame took. However, Cynder was already bringing her tail blade down. There was only one way to save Spyro. Shun quickly pushed Spyro out the just in time. Unfortunately, the tail blade went into the right side of Shun's stomach, pining him to the wall. Even though it didn't go in deep, Shun coughed up blood all over the ground and on Cynder's tail. Blood began to stream out of the wound. Shun groaned in pain. He looked at Cynder with hate filled eyes. Everyone was finally coming to. Sparx, Flame, and Terrador all looked up and saw which life Cynder was claiming. They all went wide eyed at who was pinned to the wall by Cynder's tail blade.

"Shun!" they all called out in unison.

"Oh isn't that sweet." said Cynder. "You sacrificed yourself for someone else. Tell me...is the pain worth it?" Shun didn't say anything. "How about this? Is it worth it now?" She then began to twist the blade a little and push it in further. Shun raised his head up and cried out in pain. Spyro could only watch as Cynder tortured him. Cynder soon grew bored of it and pulled her tail blade out. Shun fell to the ground holding his wound as the blood was free to pour onto the ground. "Such a weakling." She then turned back to Spyro was walking towards him. Spyro looked back at her with sad eyes. Suddenly, Shun jumped between them and started to growl violently. "I see you're still standing. I guess you're not _that_ weak." However, Shun couldn't keep that up for long. His body began to grow weaker, and his vision started to become blurred. Before collapsing, he looked over at Spyro.

"Spyro…run," he said as he finally collapsed to the ground. Sparx had gotten up and flew to Spyro.

"Spyro listen to him," said Sparx, "I don't want to be barbeque. Run!" Spyro finally got the courage to run. He jumped up into the air and took off.

"Oh no you don't!" said Cynder. She took off right after him. Spyro turned to see that Cynder was right on his tail. He tried to pick up speed but Cynder was much faster than him. She got closer and closer to the purple dragon. Right as she was about to bite down on Spyro's tail, a fire blast hit her on her left side. Spyro stopped and turned to see what was going on. She regained her composer to see who would dare attack her. To both their surprise, it was Ignitus. He had come just in time. Ember was closing the gap when she looked down and saw the sight of Shun. Her heart skipped a beat as she rushed down to aid him.

"Ignitus," said Cynder, "it's good to see you again." Ignitus said nothing. He tossed Spyro a green crystal and told him to give it to Terrador. Spyro complied and flew to Terrador.

When Ember reached Shun she saw that he was still alive but barely.

"Shun," she said with worry.

"Hey Ember…you made it," Shun's voice was very weak, and he eyes were starting to close. Flame had managed to inch his way over to Shun.

"Shun," Ember was on the verge of tears, "please don't die. You have to keep you eyes open."

"Sorry…I don't think I can," his eyes were almost completely closed. That's when Ember broke down.

"Shun, please! Don't go! You have to hang on!" All her crying couldn't do anything as his eyes closed. Ember laid her head on Shun's body and wept. Spyro flew down and gave Terrador the green crystal. Terridor got up quickly and made his way towards Shun.

Cynder and Ignitus were still just staring at each other.

"You're lucky you got here in time to save the purple dragon," she said, "but to bad you couldn't save the other one."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ignitus.

Cynder didn't say anything. She simply gestured her eyes to the left. Ignitus followed them and looked down. He was then greeted with an image that made his heart sink. He saw everyone surrounding Shun as he lies there, dying in a pool of his own blood. Ignitus couldn't hold back as his tears began to flow. To see one of his godchildren dying gave him an array of emotions. The biggest he had was disappointment in himself. He promised Shun and Spyro's parents he would take good care of them. Now one is badly injured and the other is dying. His sad emotions soon turned to anger. Ignitus looked at Cynder with the same hate filled eyes that Shun had. He couldn't hold it anymore.

"You're…Dead!" Ignitus just charged in not caring what will happen. Cynder simply smirked as he flew right at her. They collided in the air and they wrestled around while they fell into a deep chasm.

"Ignitus," called Spyro. He was about to go look for him when he was stopped by Terrador.

"Spyro!" he called.

"We have to go help Ignitus."

"He's gone, Spyro," said Sparx.

"But…"

"He's right; Spyro," said Terrador, "plus Ignitus can take care of himself. Right now, Shun needs us more. If we don't get him back to the temple he'll die."

Spyro looked over at Shun to see that he was still breathing, but barely. Terrador, with the help of the others, managed to Shun on his back. He took off and began to fly back to the temple with everyone else following. Ember was right next to Terrador, never keeping eyes off Shun. Flame was behind Terrador, while Spyro and Sparx took the rear. Spyro looked back to the sight of Munitions Forge. As it got further and further away, Spyro felt worse and worse. He felt that everything that just happened was his entire fault. He felt that he was the reason Cynder collected Terridor's energy. He also felt responsible that Flame was badly injured, that Ignitus is missing, and worst of all that Shun was fighting death right now. Spyro silently cried all the way back as he just kept replaying the image of tonight over and over in his head, blaming himself for ever little thing.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Big brother to the rescue, but at a great sacrifice. Will Shun make it through, or will he die before they get back to the temple? You'll just have to come back to find out. Without a doubt this is the longest chapter I have ever written. Hope you liked it. See you next chapter.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Hey everyone slapstick here. Well the Terrador rescue is over, and now we're moving on to the final battle with Cynder. It's almost over. I would have to say about three or four more chapters before the end. Until then enjoy the new chapter.

Chapter 23

It didn't take long for the dragons to return to the temple, about five to ten minutes. The moment they landed they were greeted by Cyril and Volteer, and Terrador. However, they didn't have time to exchange luxuries. Terrador showed them the condition Shun was in. His wound had opened a bit more during the ride, and he had bled out even more. Cyril quickly took Shun to the hospital wing of the temple, which was now clean. He told everyone to wait outside of the room they were in and closed the door.

It's been an hour since Cyril started working on Shun and everyone was starting to get worried. Volteer and Terrador sat next to the door, one on each side. Flame, Spyro, and Sparx sat away from the door facing it, while Ember began to pace back and forth worried out of her mind. Tension was growing the longer they waited.

"Will you stop pacing," said Sparx, "you're giving me whiplash."

"I don't get it," said Ember, "how can you just sit there while Shun is fighting for his life right now!"

"Ember, calm down," said Volteer.

"He's right," agreed Terrador. "There's no point in getting worked up. Shun will be fine."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Ember.

"Because I've trained Shun for years." Terrador soon had a smile on his face as he thought back to when Shun was younger. "He's a tough dragon, and stubborn. He's not going to let this stop him."

"He gets it from his father." added Volteer. Right as Volteer said that the door opened and Cyril walked out with some of Shun's blood on his claws. Ember ran up to Cyril.

"How is he?" she asked.

"He'll be just fine," said Cyril. Ember let out a huge sigh of relief.

"So how bad was it?" asked Flame.

"Not too bad, actually." said Cyril. "In fact, the only real threat was too much blood loss. If you hadn't gotten him here when you did he would have bled out. As for the wound, there weren't any punctured organs or severed arteries. Because of this, a red crystal was able to heal most of it. However, he will still be in pain for a few days, and he'll have a scare for the rest of his life."

"That's a relief," stated Terrador.

"Can we see?" asked Ember.

"Yeah," said Cyril, "go right ahead." Ember quickly ran into the room with Flame and Sparx following. Cyril quietly laughed as he followed the young dragons. Volteer, Terrador, and Spyro were the last to enter.

Shun was fully awake and looking at his stomach. He had bandages wrapped around his stomach to keep it from bleeding. The second he lifted his head something pink draped its arms around his chest. The sudden impact caused Shun's whole body to go into a frenzy.

"Pain, Ember, pain!" yelled Shun. Hearing this, Ember quickly let go of him.

"Sorry, sorry," apologized Ember. Shun looked at the wound again to make sure it wasn't bleeding again. To his relief it wasn't. He looked back up at Ember and gave her a look of annoyance and frustration. Ember simply gave him the most innocent grin she could manage.

"I see Ember's causing you pain," said Cyril laughing.

"It wasn't that bad," said Shun trying to make it sound like it didn't hurt.

"That's not what it sounded like to me," mocked Flame. Everyone began to laugh, even Shun as he was now lying down. Everyone except for Spyro. When he walked in he stayed quiet and had his head down. Shun saw Spyro coming in and greeted him.

"Hey, little brother," he said with a smile, "how are you doing?" Spyro looked up and saw the bandages around Shun. Spyro quickly turned his head.

"I'm fine," said Spyro looking away hoping he fooled them. However, Shun wasn't falling for it.

"If you're so fine, then why won't you look at me?" asked Shun.

"How can I?" said Spyro still looking away. "It's my fault you're like this."

"Spyro it wasn't your fault," said Ember.

"It is," said Spyro turning to Ember. "Instead of facing Cynder, I stood there and did nothing. It's just the sight of Cynder so close just…just…"

"Put ice in your veins, made your legs shake, scared the crud out of you," said Sparx.

"Yeah…all that and more."

"All dragon's feel fear one day, Spyro," said Terrador.

"But it was my cowardice that almost got Shun killed, and Ignitus…" he couldn't even finish. Remembering Ignitus only made things worse.

"Spyro, listen," said Shun. "It's not your fault, so don't go blaming yourself."

"But…!" Spyro finally looked up at Shun.

"Look, even if you did do something, who's to say this wouldn't happen again. You're my little brother; I'll do anything to protect you. Even if it means giving up my life."

Those words gave comfort to Spyro, as a smile formed on his face.

"Spyro," said Terrador, "what happened cannot be changed. The best way to handle it is to learn from it and grow." Spyro's sorrow turned to confidence after hearing what everyone has said. Things soon got quiet until Volteer broke the silence.

"So, Terrador," he said. "Do you have any idea what Cynder is planning?"

"I only know one thing," replied Terrador. "While I was being held captive I over heard The Conductor say that Cynder was planning to open a gateway to another dimension."

"Open a gateway?" questioned Cyril. "What in bloody hell for?"

"I don't know, but she needs our energy in order to do it."

"If so, then why hasn't she opened already?" asked Flame.

"Good chance the crystal isn't powerful enough." answered Spyro.

"That means…," said Cyril.

"That Ignitus must still be alive," finished Volteer.

"Of course," said Terrador. "She needs all our strengths in order to complete her plans."

"Terrador," said Spyro. "Do you have any idea where she might take him?"

"I also over heard The Conductor say that Cynder's final preparations will be at her lair. A place called Concurrent Skies. It was once a beautiful place; a large crystallized land that would float over ground due to an opposing magnetic field below. Dragons would travel from miles to see it. However, thanks to Cynder and her forces, it has now become a corrupt and hopeless place."

"Then that's where I'm heading." said Spyro as he was walking out of the room.

"Whoa, whoa wait a minute," said Sparx as he flew in front of Spyro. "We just barely got out of a deadly situation, and now you want to go back? Can someone talk to him please? He's going crazy."

"We don't have time to waste," said Spyro, "we need to get Ignitus out of there before it's too late."

"But…!"

"I agree with him, Sparx," said Shun.

"Wait, what about your big speech about keeping him safe and all that?"

"I still plan to do that."

"How?"

"I'm going too." Shun stood up to leave, unfortunately, he stood up to quickly. There was a shooting pain that range through his body. He cringed in pain and fell back to the ground while holding his wound. Ember moved closer to him to make sure he was alright.

"Shun," said Cyril, "you can barely stand. What make you think you even fight?"

"I can manage," said Shun.

"As weird as this will sound, I agree with Cyril," said Volteer. "You need your rest. It takes a large amount of time for one's body to regain it strength after suffering from drastic blood loss."

"Huh?" said Sparx.

"His body needs to recuperate," explained Spyro.

"What?" said Sparx again.

"He needs his rest," said Flame.

"Why didn't he just say that?"

"He did you just weren't listening."

"…I'm sorry did you say something?" Flame just simply face palmed.

"I'm fine," said Shun trying to get up.

"You're not fine," said Cyril, "lie back down and rest."

"I'm not going to leave Master Ignitus there."

"Shun listen to them," said Ember, "I don't want to see you get worse. Just lie back down."

"I'm not going to lie back down. Master Ignitus needs me, and I'm also not going to let Spyro go by himself."

"Shun…!" said Cyril.

"Give it up, Cyril," said Terrador. "You're forgetting whose son this is. Rye's stubbornness shines brightly in Shun. We'll tell him no, and he'll just disobey us anyway."

"But, Terrador" said Volteer, "even if Shun was fully healed. It's way too dangerous for the young ones to face Cynder alone."

"They won't go alone."

"What do you mean?" asked Cyril.

"I'm going with them." said Terrador.

"What?" said Volteer shocked. "Terrador, you yourself are in no condition to fight. You just had your energy drained."

"I'll be fine. These young ones give me enough strength to continue fighting. They're so willing to lay their lives on the line for a comrade is inspiring. Plus, Ignitus is our leader and a close friend to all of us. I'm not going to leave him. You two should come as well."

"You're right, Terrador," said Volteer.

"I'll go too" said Cyril. "I need to make sure Shun's bandages hold."

"Then we're all in agreement." said Terrador. Everyone nodded. "We're going to battle to rescue a fallen comrade. We will not stop until he has safely returned to us, and Cynder is defeated. We are a proud race of dragons. We will win this war at all cost; even if that cost is our very own lives. Together we stand, and together we will succeed. Let's go show Cynder what we're made of."

Terrador's speech has boosted everyone's moral. They were ready to fight to the very end. Soon they were up in the air and headed of to battle. Spyro had gain more confidence in himself, as well as Sparx.

"Alright let's do this," said Sparx as he boosted himself up even more.

"What are you so excited about?" asked Spyro.

"I don't know if it's the adrenaline rush, or the big guy's speech but I'm all pumped up. I mean did you see me at the mines. I took on a dragon, a dragon! Even though I got my butt kicked, I still stood up against something a hundred times my size."

"Yeah I saw. You were pretty amazing. I want to say thanks for trying to save me."

"Don't mention it. I'm just so excited to get more butt." Spyro watched as Sparx continued to hype himself up.

"_If Sparx can take on Cynder by himself," _thought Spyro, _"Then I can too."_ Spyro then looked to his right to see Shun and Ember flying next to him. Soon he panned to look forward to see Flame and the guardians flying in front. _"And I know I won't have to do this alone. With everyone behind me, I know I can do this."_ With a new found confidence in himself, Spyro was also becoming hyped to fight. He knew he could do it, and if he can't then he has friends to back him up. He was ready. He was ready to face Cynder and defeat her.

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: Everyone going to battle, together as one. With a full frontal assault on the way you must be hyped to see what happens. Also, you're probably wondering why Spyro wasn't trained by Terrador. Well, I always found it weird that, in the game, they would train while Ignitus was captured. He's probably being tortured and they're taking their time. So Spyro is going into battle with very little experience. See you soon.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Hey guys slapstick here. Well the new chapter is up and ready. We're nearing the end of the part 1 of 3. It's sure to be an exciting one. Let's not waste anymore time. Let get right to it.

Chapter 24

It took longer then they thought to reach Cynder's lair. About a two hour flight. It would have been shorter, but because of Shun's injury, Cyril thought it was necessary to take a break every now and again to see if the wound reopened. During those breaks, Terrador took the chance to teach Spyro the basics of the earth abilities; however, they didn't last long. Since each break was about ten minutes long. So Spyro didn't get a very in depth training session. He was still new at it and had trouble moving a simple rock.

Once they arrived at Concurrent Skies, they all stood in awe at what they saw. The crystals around them were glowing an ominous combination of purple and blue. It gave off a very uncomfortable feeling. Terrador told them that this was once a beautiful place. It's apparent that Cynder's presence has disrupted that beauty and corrupted the area. The dark skies created a perfect background for the castle that stood in front of them. It was incredible and terrifying. It stretched high into the sky, piercing the very clouds it corrupted. The castle also over took most of the area. As they approached the structure they noticed many crystals destroyed around the castle; evident that the apes had recently added on to the massive structure.

They soon reached the entrance of the castle. They quickly hid behind some crystals so not to be seen. They poked their heads out to see what they were up against. The entrance had a massive courtyard. Surrounding it were a few statues of Cynder. The apes that were in the courtyard wore masks and held shields in the shape of Cynder's face. Either out of respect or kissing up they weren't too sure. What caught their attention the most was the number of apes. About forty apes stood in the courtyard and thirty more on the stair case that lead into the castle. It was obvious that Cynder beefed up security. She knew they were coming, so she took no chances. She even placed archers along the upper floors of the castle. So simply flying up wasn't going to work.

"Man," said Sparx, "Cynder really went all out. I wonder who she killed to get this place."

"Probably the previous owners." said Shun in anger.

"We have to get inside." said Spyro.

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Flame as he was about to charge in like a fool.

"Hold on, Flame!" called Terrador. "We can't just go rushing in blindly. We need a plan."

"Terrador is right." said Volteer. "A well laid plan will determine the success or failure of this battle."

"I think I have one." said Cyril.

"Go ahead, Cyril." said Terrador.

"Well, I saw another path while we were walking here. I believe that it leads to another entrance. However, it's only big enough for the apes; which brings me to my idea." Spyro was starting to understand what Cyril was talking about.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" said Spyro hoping it wasn't true.

"I am," said Cyril with a light smile. "You young ones will take that path and find another way in. We guardians will attack the front gate. We'll draw their attention so you could sneak in unnoticed." Cyril looked over at Terrador and Volteer. They both had smiles on their faces.

"But, Master Cyril," said Shun. "They're too many of them. You'll be overrun!"

"We know." said Terrador. "We are willing to make this sacrifice, if it means rescuing Ignitus."

"But they'll kill you!" said Ember.

"Don't worry," said Volteer. "If this is our end, we will never truly die. We will live on in all of you."

"Look at you, Volteer," said Cyril. "I never thought of you to be the philosopher type."

"Wisdom doesn't always have to come from experience. It can come from ones heart too."

"Enough you two," said Terrador, "we're wasting time. Young ones, you must take the path and get inside."

Against their better judgment they agreed, but before they left Terrador wanted to say one more thing to Spyro.

"Spyro," he called. Spyro turned to look at the earth dragon. "I know I couldn't give you proper training on your earth abilities, but, from what I saw at Munitions Forge, you have a grasp on it. There is only one piece of advice I can give. You must be stronger than the earth you are trying to move. I don't just mean physically, you must be strong mentally. Have confidence in yourself, young one. Believe that you can do it and you will." Spyro nodded and took in everything Terrador said. He left with everyone else as their heads stayed low to the ground.

"Give us five minutes before you start." said Shun before turning the corner.

The guardians waited the five minutes out. They spent the time reminiscing of when they were younger, and talking about some of their best students. They all agreed that out of all their students they've trained, Spyro and Shun were their best. Once the five minutes were up they readied themselves.

"Are you guys ready?" asked Terrador.

"Ready as we'll ever be old boy," said Cyril.

"Good…Volteer, you're up." Volteer took several deep breaths as he readied himself to make the first strike.

The apes in the courtyard all stood looking around for signs of the enemy. As they looked something caught one of the ape's eyes. A yellow, pulsating ball began to slowly approach them. They quickly armed themselves. The orb soon stopped in the middle of the courtyard. One ape slowly approached it, curious as to what it could be. He lightly tapped with one of his swords. At that instant, the yellow orb began to rotate, slowly at first but then began to pick up speed. It spun faster and faster, and the pulsations became more violent. The ape that taped it backed away quickly as the orb was soon spinning at high speed. Then, without warn, a barrage of small electric bolts shot out of the orb. They started attack and ape near by with pinpoint accuracy. The bolt struck the hearts of the apes getting quick kills. It even attacked archers up on higher levels of the castle. As the barrage ended the yellow ball began to disappear. Apes laid on the ground, some dead and others in agenizing pain.

"Medic!" called on of the apes. Soon about a dozen medics came to the aid fallen comrades. They worked to the best of their abilities, but most couldn't be saved. Though, it didn't matter. Before they could get the wounded to the medical bay, a rather large mist began to approach from the same corner the orb came from. It blanketed the courtyard as the apes looked on. They were curious as to what was going on. Pretty soon their bodies began to become colder and colder. They began to shiver violently, as they began to lose feeling throughout their bodies. With in minutes their legs began to freeze over. Ice crystals formed around them. They all began to scream as they tried to release themselves from their ice impressments. However, the ice was forming too fast. Soon, everyone that was out on the courtyard was now an ice statue. Frozen in the position they stood when they were alive. A new group of apes ran out to the courtyard to see the frozen statues. They saw their comrades dead from the ice.

"What the hell's going on?" asked one of the apes. As soon as he said that, the ground began shake violently. Soon, the ground came at them like a tidal wave. It shattered the statues and through many other apes of their feet. As they were getting up, they looked ahead to see where it came from. What they saw surprised them. Three dragons stood in front of them.

"Let's show these apes we're not to be messed with," said Terrador. With that they charged into battle, taking out the apes they were still on the ground first. Within seconds, dozens of apes came running out of the castle. However, the first thing Terrador noticed were the archers taking aim. "Get behind me!" Volteer and Cyril jumped back. Terridor quickly created a large earth dome over them. The arrows bounced off dome as they were flying by the dozens. As soon as they stopped, Terrador released the dome. Within that same second, Volteer launched a series of electric strikes at the archers, all of which made their mark. Once the archers were down, the three guardians charged at the apes, fighting with all their might.

_Meanwhile…_

Spyro and the others found the path that Cyril was talking about. The path was only big enough for them, and it appears to head in the direction of the castle. They followed the path not knowing where they were going to end up. When they emerged, they were soon looking at a side entrance into the castle. It was obvious this was meant for the apes. Once they got closer they heard screaming coming from the front entrance.

"Looks like they've started," said Shun. "Let's go." They all pushed on the doors at once. It slowly began to open. It creaked as the doors moved. They didn't open it too far, just enough to walk through. As they proceeded inside they were amazed by the size and architecture of the castle. However, they didn't have time to take in the sights. They proceeded towards one of the doors. As they got close, it opened by itself. They went into that door and soon found themselves in a large room that had ledges going along the side of the walls. They saw another door at the very top. They quickly flew up to the very top only to be shot at by a group of apes. They dodged each arrow and took out any archers they could see. They soon reached the door and went inside. However, they soon found themselves back out side, in an area that seemed like the one they landed in.

"What?" said Sparx. "We're back where we started?"

"This doesn't make sense!" said Flame. "How did we end up back here?"

They soon heard talking going on further down a path that lay in front of them. They walk up to it only to see three apes running at them. Ember and Spyro took out the two that were on the outsides, while Shun captured the one in the middle.

"Please, don't kill me!" pleaded the ape.

"We won't." said Shun hovering over the frightened ape. "If you answer a few questions first."

"Anything you say, just don't hurt me."

"First, where is Master Ignitus?"

"Who?"

"The red dragon Cynder brought in." said Spyro.

"Oh, him," said the ape. "He's at the very top of the castle."

"Good," said Shun. "Second, is there a quicker way to get there?"

"Yes. Follow this path a little bit. You'll come to a fork in the path, take the left. You'll see a large black crystal. Move it, and behind you'll see a small cave that will lead you to the tower that your friend is being held."

"Third," said Shun. "Why is Cynder collecting the guardian's energy? What is she planning?"

"That was two questions dude." said Sparx.

"Sparx, not now!" snapped Shun.

"Ok, sorry, just trying to lighten the mood." Shun turned his attention back to the ape.

"Answer me!" he yelled.

"She's planning to open the convexity gateway," said the ape.

"What?" asked Flame.

"The gateway that imprisons the Dark Master." Once the ape said that**, **everyone gasped.

"So you're saying that Cynder is planning to release the Dark Master?" said Spyro.

"That's correct." said the ape. "The crystal we found pulsates with dark magic. It has the abilit**y** to open the gateway. However, it needed to charge."

"Who better to charge it then some of the strongest dragons in the world." said Ember.

"Exactly," said the ape. "Now that I've told you what you want, can you let me go now?"

"Don't worry," said Shun. "I'll let you go…straight to the afterlife."

"What? But you said…"

"I lied." Shun then dug his claws into the ape. Within seconds the ape was dead. As Shun wiped the blood of his claws, he looked over at everyone else who was looking at him completely shocked. "What?" Is all he could say.

"Why did you do that?" asked Spyro. "We promised him we'd let him go if he talked."

"Spyro, grow up," said Shun. "What makes you think that he would have stayed quiet about all this? The second we would have let him go; he would have told all his friends exactly where we are and where we were going."

"Yeah, but…"

"But nothing. We're at war, Spyro. You can't trust the enemy." No one had anything to say about that. "Let's go…we're wasting time." As Shun walked down the path, everyone else stayed a few steps behind him; to talk amongst themselves.

"What's wrong with Shun?" asked Ember. "He seems to get angrier the closer we get to Ignitus."

"I wish I knew," said Spyro. "The only thing we can do is hope that he doesn't get worse."

As they continued down the path, they soon came across the fork that the ape spoke of. They took the left in hopes that the ape wasn't lying to them. After a few minutes of more walking, they soon came across the black crystal. Once they moved it out the way, they did indeed see a small cave. It led them in many different directions. Up, down, left, right; they had no idea where they were going. After some time, they soon spotted an exit. When they emerged they were standing near the staircase of a large tower. The ape told the truth.

"Ignitus is up there somewhere," said Shun.

They all walked inside to see a completely empty room. The**y** looked around and the only thing they found was a rope pulley system holding up the metal gates at the entrance. Before they could do more searching, an ape dropped down out of nowhere and appeared in the middle of the group. With Spyro and Shun standing in front of it, while Flame and Ember stood behind it. It quickly knocked all four dragons away with a blunt object. Spyro and Shun fell back further into the room, while Flame and Ember fell outside the tower. The ape pulled out a large knife and threw it at the ropes. It cut right through as the giant metal gates slammed into the ground, separating the young dragons from each other. Flame and Ember ran to the closed gate.

"Guys are you ok?" asked Flame.

"We're fine," replied Spyro.

"Don't worry we'll get through this gate," said Flame. He charged up and launched a fire blast at the gate. Once the smoke cleared, the gate still stood. There was no evidence that there was any damage.

"Don't bother," said the ape. He stood holding a scythe in his hand, with a metal coil wrapped around his body. However, what made him noticeable were the burns on his right arm, it was Moore. "That gate is made of boron steel, virtually indestructible. You can't get through it."

"Damn," said Flame. "Guys, we'll find another way in."

"Forget it." said Shun. "We can handle things from here. Go help the other guardians."

"Are you sure?" asked Ember.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I highly doubt there's another way in. You'll only waste time looking. Just go. Spyro and I can handle things."

"If you're sure, then good luck," said Flame. "Let's go, Ember."

"You two be careful," said Ember as she left.

"Shun, are you sure about this?" asked Spyro.

"I'm positive," said Shun. Spyro then turned to Moore who had an evil smile.

"Why are you following me?" asked Spyro.

"Yeah," said Sparx. "Do you have some sick obsession? I got to say dude, you need help."

"It's nothing like that," said Moore. "I was just given orders by Cynder to separate you two from the others. I've done my job."

"So why are you still here?" asked Shun.

"I need to see how powerful you two are. If I believe you are strong enough to take on Cynder, then I'll let you take the elevator up."

"What elevator?" asked Sparx. "If you hadn't noticed, this is an empty room."

"Actually, the floor you're standing on moves and the ceiling opens as the floor moves."

"Well isn't that convenient."

"I've had enough of this," said Shun. "You want to fight, then let's fight."

With that Shun charged in. His speed was much slower than usual thanks to the wound Cynder gave him. As Shun charged, Moore brought up his scythe and brought it down. Shun saw this and quickly side stepped to the right to avoid it. The scythe penetrated the ground. Shun took chance and lunged. Moore avoided the attack as Shun fell forward. However, Shun used this momentum to swing his body around with his left claw on the ground, and use his tail as a whip. Moore pulled out the scythe from the ground and used it to block the attack. Once blocked Shun quickly jumped back. When he landed there was a shooting pain from the wound. Moore was ready to attack when he heard the sound of a fire blast being fire from behind him. He quickly swung the scythe around and extinguished the attack. The flames surrounded him as they began to disappear. Spyro ran though the flames and caught Moore of guard. Spyro struck Moore's face with his left claw, leave three marks on his face. Spyro then attacked Moore one more time, but Moore saw it coming. He quickly pulled his head back and avoided the attack. He then pulled his Scythe around and swung it upwards. Spyro jumped back to avoid the attack. Moore brought his scythe behind him ready to charge when something stopped him. He looked back to see Shun biting onto the scythe. Shun pulled and yanked the scythe out of his hands. Shun then began to deliver a serious of viscous attacks; one after the other leaving a serious of wounds. Spyro soon joined in as they started to attack Moore together. Soon they decided in this with one final simultaneous attack. Spyro jumped behind the ape. Moore took this as an opportunity. With the metal coil still in hand, he quickly pulled it while Spyro was moving behind him. The force caused the scythe to come back to Moore. Shun saw it coming and quickly duck to prevent getting struck. Moore grabbed the scythe as it returned to him. The second Spyro was behind him, Moore kicked Spyro sending flying back. Once Moore's foot came down, he did a sweeping motion with his scythe at Shun. Shun quickly jumped back to avoid the attack.

"Where do you think you're going?" said Moore. He threw the metal coil at Shun. It soon wrapped around his leg. Moore then pulled on the coil forcing Shun to be pulled as well. Moore pulled his arm back and punched Shun hard in the stomach. Shun fell to the ground in pain. The force of the punch was hard enough to loosen some of the bandages. Moore looked over at Spyro to see him already getting up. He began laughing as he jumped back away from Shun. Spyro ran up to Shun.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," he replied with some trouble, "I'm fine." Once Shun was on his feet he turned towards Moore. He saw the ape standing by the wall, putting his scythe behind his back.

"I must say," said Moore. "You two are indeed powerful; maybe, even powerful enough to take on Cynder." He placed his hand on the wall. The dragons seemed confused until the wall started to light up. It soon opened a doorway. There was another way to get in, it was just hidden. "I wish you the best of luck. You're going to need it." The doorway then closed.

"Well that was random," said Sparx. Suddenly the roof opened up as the floor they were standing on was beginning to rise. They were on their way to the top of the tower, on their way to face Cynder. Spyro looked over at Shun who was looking up intensely. Spyro then glanced back down at the Shun's stomach. The bandages started coming loose, and there was even a little blood staining them. Shun saw Spyro looking at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Maybe…" Spyro hesitated for a moment, "…maybe you shouldn't fight Cynder."

"Look I'll be fine. A little wound won't stop me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Besides, I'm not going to let you face Cynder alone."

"That makes two of us." said Sparx.

Within a few minutes they reached the top of the tower. Above them was glass casing. In front of them was Ignitus floating in a purple box; held up by the crystal. He seemed exhausted.

"Master Ignitus!" called Shun. Ignitus slowly opened his eyes.

"Shun…" he said slowly. When he looked down he saw Shun, Spyro, and Sparx looking up at him. "Shun! You're ok!"

"Yeah I'm fine."

"Are you ok?" asked Spyro.

"Cynder is draining my energy," said Ignitus. "You must destroy the crystal, quickly. She plans to…"

"We know," interrupted Sparx. "She plans to release some Dark Master guy."

"Exactly, hurry; before she returns."

"Come on, let's get this done." said Spyro.

They soon began to walk towards Ignitus when Sparx started to get a funny feeling.

"Hey guys," he said.

"What is it, Sparx?" asked Spyro.

"I don't like this. I have a feeling she's baiting us."

"Don't worry," said Spyro. "We just need to destroy the crystal."

As they approached they were greeted with a black and red fireball stopping their path. They quickly backed away from the flames as it began to die down. Soon, Cynder appeared through the flames with her eyes glowing red. She looked at the young ones with an evil grin.

"If only it were that easy." she said.

"Wow…" said Sparx, "…y-you're much bigger than I remembered." Sparx flew behind Spyro out of fear. Spyro looked at Cynder and the same fear started to creep back in. He looked at Shun to see him growling and baring his teeth. He didn't seem scared. Cynder saw this and started to address him.

"Shun," she said as she began to circle them, her footsteps barely making a sound. "It's good to see you again. How long has it been?"

"Not long enough." replied Shun.

"Well, regardless of the time, I'm glad we get to have some time together. I was afraid that you died before I could say hi, but I see you've recovered from you wound." She then saw the blood on the bandage. "Somewhat recovered."

"Ok I'm confused," said Spyro. "Shun, have you two met before?"

"Let's just say our paths have crossed," said Shun still looking at Cynder.

"On more than one occasion," said Cynder as she got close to Shun. "And he's still as cute as the day I met him." She slid her claw under Shun's chin. He quickly snapped at Cynder trying to bite her, but she pulled back before he could get her. "And feisty too, I like that."

"Spyro," said Shun quietly. "I want you to destroy the crystal. I'll handle Cynder."

"No, Shun," said Spyro. "I'm not going to sit by and let Cynder hurt you again. This time I fight."

"If that's your choice," said Cynder. "I don't mind teaching you the same lesson I taught Shun."

"And what lesson is that?" asked Spyro now baring his teeth.

"The lesson of how complicated life can be."

"Cynder their just kids!" yelled Ignitus. "Leave them be. Get me down from here and I will fight you!"

"Sorry old man," said Cynder turning her head slight. "But your age has finally caught up with you. You're no match for me. Besides, I want you to watch as I tear these two apart. I may even start with the purple one."

The second Cynder talked about Spyro, Shun snapped. He pulled his head back and launched a dark blast at Cynder's head. She saw it coming and used her wing to block it. When she pulled back she was laughing softly.

"I've never met a couple of dragons who wanted to meet death with such abandon." she said.

"Unfortunately, I'm not the one scheduled to meet him today," replied Shun.

"Are you threatening me? That would make you so much cuter if you were." Shun got into a stance ready to fight. "Very well. If you wish to die so badly I'll be happy to give you your wish."

"You have two of us to deal with," said Spyro. "So you better be ready because we're not holding back."

"Bring it."

_To Be Continued…_

A/N: The battle with Cynder has finally come. This was a long road coming, but we're almost done. Come back soon for the next chapter, and I do mean soon. I promise to have the next chapter by the end of this week. Until then, leave a review and give me your thoughts. Remember I will never get better without your thoughts. See you soon.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Hey everyone, slapstick here. Well, here it is the final chapter, a little bit early. Man, it has been a long road. I'm sorry that it took me a year to get this finished, but I promise that part two will not take that long. If it does then I apologize in advance. Now I'm stalling, let get right into the last chapter.

Chapter 25

Cynder fired her dark flames at the two dragons. They both jumped back to avoid the attack. Spyro launched an electric strike through the flames. The attack mixed with the fire creating a fierce looking red and black electric strike. The attack was aimed at Cynder's head. She simpl**y** moved to the left to avoid it. At that moment, Shun jumped over the flames and struck at Cynder. She ducked as Shun landed under her. He jumped and did a back flip hoping to hit her with his tail. She moved her head effortlessly to dodge his attack again. While Shun was in the air Cynder snapped at him. Shun quickly regained his composure and flew above her, dodging the attack. While Cynder was distracted, Spyro launched a fire blast at her. When she saw it she used her wings to block it, covering her face. When she opened her wings she noticed they were gone. She looked all around her and still couldn't see them. Then she heard the flapping of wings above her. She looked up to see them combining their attacks, a combination of ice and darkness. She jumped back just in time to avoid it. When the attack hit the ground it created spikes of black ice pointing upward. Shun flew down behind the spikes and launched a light attack. It hit the ice and exploded, sending shards of ice Cynder's way. She quickly launched black flames and melted the ice quickly. However, the flames kept coming. Shun jumped back and dodged the blast, but Cynder ran through the flames with great speed. She bit down on Shun's tail and threw him into one of the pillars holding up the glass roof. Before he slid to the ground, Cynder quickly slammed her claws into Shun's chest. It was at such a force that Shun's heart skipped a beat or two. He soon fell to the ground, close to losing consciousness. Spyro charged Cynder while she wasn't looking. Using her tail, she swatted Spyro away. He was now on the ground in pain. However, he didn't give up. He tried to stand up as he was ready for round two. Cynder looked at him and cracked a smile. Soon Spyro and Cynder were glaring into each others eyes. Spyro noticed something in her, something that didn't make sense. Cynder then heard movement coming from Shun. She looked at him to see that he was standing as well. Before the next round could start the crystal began to flash and create a humming noise. Cynder knew the crystal was fully charged and ready to open the gateway.

"Well," she said. "It's been fun, but unfortunately my time of toying with you has come to an end." She quickly ran towardsit, but Spyro and Shun were right behind her. She quickly turned and shot her black flames at them. The sudden attack caught them by surprised as they were knocked back by the force. "Now, where was I?" She quickly grabbed the crystal and flew through the glass roof to the other side of the castle. As the crystal was taken, Ignitus fell to the ground, completely exhausted. Spyro and Shun slowly approached Ignitus.

"Are you ok?" asked Shun.

"I'm fine," said Ignitus.

"Master Ignitus, we found out what Cynder is planning."

"I know…she plans to unlock the gateway to Convexity and release The Dark Master."

"Ignitus…" said Spyro getting his attention, "…there was something about Cynder, something in her eyes. I can't explain it, but I didn't see an evil dragon. I saw something different. I don't get it, who is she?"

"I think it's about time that I tell you the truth…that I tell both of you the truth." Shun was now more curious then ever. "You two have more in common with Cynder than you know. You see, during the night of the raid, after I had gotten you to the Silver River, I returned to get Shun. When I did I saw that the apes had smashed most of the eggs. Except for one, a black egg."

"Cynder's egg," said Spyro.

"Exactly," continued Ignitus. "They were about to leave with the egg. I was going to stop them when they dragged you, Shun, out of the nursery. They decided to kill you. I didn't have a choice. You were the one I had to protect the most. When I got you away from the apes, they had taken Cynder's egg."

"So," said Shun. "If the raid never happened, then…"

"…you three would have grown up together." said Ignitus.

"There's something I don't get." said Sparx. "If the raid was meant to destroy Spyro, then why did they take Cynder's egg?" Everyone was quite shocked that Sparx was being serious for once.

"You see in order to open the gateway they needed one born in the year of the dragon." said Ignitus.

"I still don't understand," said Spyro. "If Cynder comes from the temple like Shun and I…then why is she so…so…"

"Evil, monstrous, big, sexy, whoops did I say that?" said Sparx.

"Because," said Ignitus. "After the night of the raid, The Dark Master slowly began to corrupt her with his dark influences. Raised her to become his puppet since the day she hatched. After years of being corrupted she soon transformed into the monster you see now, The Dark Master's slave."

"So what does this 'Dark Master' want?" asked Shun wanting to change the subject about Cynder.

"He wants to be freed from the portal of Convexity," said Ignitus. "To reek havoc across the realms, and if Cynder get's there…he just might succeed."

As soon as he said that there was a loud roar that echoed through the night. They looked up to see Cynder flying high in the sky. Within seconds a gigantic portal opened up the night sky. Everyone down at the entrance of the castle stopped fighting to witness the large portal.

"What the hell is that?" said Terrador.

"What ever it is…it can't be good." said Cyril. They soon continued to battle the apes down below. They were gaining the advantage now that Ember and Flame were helping them.

"I'm afraid we're too late," said Ignitus.

"I don't think so," said Spyro. "I refuse to give up. I'm going to stop Cynder and The Dark Master."

"Spyro," said Sparx. "Come on man. You tried, you did a great job, but I think it's time for a nice siesta."

"No, Sparx," said Spyro. "I'm not going to let Cynder win."

"If you are sure," said Ignitus. "Then I'm coming with you."

"Sorry Ignitus, but you just had your energy drained. It would probably be better if you went back to the temple with the others."

"I guess you're right. Just be careful."

"I will."

"Wait!" called Shun. "If Master Ignitus isn't going, then I am."

"No, Shun." said Spyro. "You're already badly wounded. I don't want you to get hurt any more."

"I'm going!"

"I'm the purple dragon, Shun. It's my job to do this, not yours."

"But as your big brother it is my job to protect you. I'm not going to let you face Cynder alone." As much as Spyro wanted to fight back, he couldn't think of a better argument then that.

"Ok." With that Shun, Spyro, and Sparx flew into the giant vortex.

"May the ancestors look after you!" called Ignitus before they disappeared into the vortex. "May they look after us all."

With all the strength he had, Ignitus flew off the tower and was heading towards the temple. As he flew he looked down and saw the other guardians, as well as Ember and Flame, fighting the apes at the front gates. Terrador looked up to see Ignitus flying by.

"Ignitus is free!" yelled Terrador. "Pull back!" With that everyone took off after Ignitus. As they flew off, the apes all cheered thinking they had gained a huge victory.

"Apes." said Volteer under his breath. "Theyhad no idea of our real plans." They soon reached Ignitus rather quickly.

"Ignitus!" called Terrador. Ignitus slowed down to let the others catch up.

"It's good to see you again, Terrador," he said.

"It's good to see you as well," said Terrador.

"Ignitus," said Cyril. "What was that thing in the sky earlier?" Ignitus sighed very lightly.

"It was a portal to Convexity," said Ignitus. Everyone gasped.

"So," said Volteer. "Cynder is about to release The Dark Master?"

"Yes," replied Ignitus. Ember began looking around when she noticed something.

"Ignitus, sir," she said. "Where's Shun and Spyro?"

"They went into the portal to stop Cynder." said Ignitus.

"What?" yelled Terrador. "By themselves?"

"Unfortunately… the only thing we can do now is have faith in them."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Ignitus."

"_As do I."_ thought Ignitus still not sure of his decision to let them go alone.

_Meanwhile…_

After flying through the portal they found themselves in a vast area; many floating platforms flying by as well as very odd creatures. There were even planets flying by in the background. It was definitely a strange place to be in, and the sooner they were out the better.

"So this is Convexity huh?" asked Sparx. "Got to say, this is the most normal place I've been so far." Shun soon spotted Cynder flying up ahead, heading towards a rather large platform with a small alter in the middle. There was some kind of purple energy flowing out of it.

"There she is," he said. "Let's hurry."

They soon picked up speed to try and catch Cynder, but they weren't fast enough. Cynder reached the altar and placed the pulsating crystal inside.

"My master returns!" she said. Spyro, Shun, and Sparx finally reached the altar.

"We're too late!" said Spyro. Cynder turned to see the dragons looking back at her.

"Persistent little pests aren't you?" she said.

"This ends here, Cynder!" said Shun.

"You got that right." she replied. "When my master returns, I'll present him with your battered bodies as a gift."

"Are you sure you're not confusing our bodies with yours?"

"Clever…I really do enjoy our back and forth's. To bad they have to end when I kill you."

"Bring it!" said Spyro.

"No mercy this time." Cynder then flew up high into the air. She launched a devastating attack of black flames. Shun and Spyro flew out way right on time. Cynder did a nose dive towards Spyro. Spyro saw her coming and took of around the altar with Cynder giving chase. She launched attack after attack to try and bring Spyro down. She was about to launch one more but Spyro did a quick nose dive. Now, heading right for her was Shun. He launched a light attack at Cynder. It hit her perfectly in the face. She plummeted back to the ground but quickly recovered. She looked up to see Spyro launch a fire blast at her. She jumped back and avoided the attack. Cynder then jumped up so she was now at Spyro's level. She quickly whipped her tail around. Shun tackled Spyro just in time to dodge the tail. They both landed on the ground. They looked up and Cynder launched another viscous attack. They both flew out of the way. Before they knew it, Cynder was now right in front of them. She hit Shun with her claw to move him out the way. She then snapped at Spyro trying to bite him. He dodged the attack but was struck with one of Cynder's claws. He started to plummet to the ground. Cynder then took the opportunity and launch another attack while Spyro was falling. Spyro looked up and saw the attack heading right for him. He looked back at the ground and saw he was falling rather fast. If the fall doesn't kill him, the attack will. Suddenly, something took over Spyro. He was now running on instinct. He twisted his body so he was facing the ground. When he got close, he curled up into a back and started rolling on the ground. While he was rolling, the ground created a sphere around Spyro, strong enough to stand up against the attack. Once the attack subsided, Spyro came out of the sphere. He then dug his claws into the ground and shot upwards towards Cynder, sending shards of sharp rocks towards her. Cynder tried dodging them but she was getting hit over and over again. She soon flew up higher to stay out of reach. However, she didn't stay up there long. Without warning, she was hit by a dark blast from her back. It sent her falling back down to the ground. She looked up and saw Shun flying down at her. She stepped back a bit so now Shun was standing in front of her. He began to attack a close range, mainly going for the head and neck. Soon Spyro joined in. They started to work together to try and get the upper hand on Cynder. They would make contact but nothing to really cause an effect. Cynder soon saw her chance. She bit down on Spyro's tail and threw him behind her. Cynder then turned back to Shun. He was stand but a few feet from her. She pulled her head back and was about to release another attack. Shun knew what she was going to do and pulled his head back as well. They both launched devastating attacks within a few feet from each other. When the attacks made contact there was an incredible explosion. A cloud of dust and debris surrounded them. Suddenly, Shun came flying out of the dust cloud. He was now on the ground covered in scratches and bruises. His bandages were starting to come undone and his wound has opened a bit more. He wasn't getting up. The cloud soon cleared and Cynder was standing there, covering her face with her wing. When she pulled it away, she was panting rather heavily. The explosion wasn't enough to do a lot of damage, but it did do something. She then turned to Spyro flying right at her. Before he could get close, she lifted her and swung it down. It made contact as Spyro slammed into the ground. He tried to get up, but was quickly sent flying back by a blast Cynder launched. Spyro was now on the ground in the same condition as Shun. Cynder approached the purple dragon slowly, eyes bearing down on him menacingly.

"I must say," said Cynder panting. "You are more trouble then I thought. I've never had this much of a work out." Spyro tried to get away but was in too much pain. "But it all must come to an end." As Cynder approached Spyro, Shun was starting to come too. He saw Cynder getting closer to Spyro. When she reached him, she slammed one claw on his tail. Spyro cringed in pain. Cynder pulled her head back and was about to finish when she was interrupted.

"Cynder!" Shun called. Cynder turned to look at him.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'll deal with you when I'm done with him."

"That's the thing. Why kill him when you could kill me?" Cynder looked at him with curiosity. "Think about it. Spyro just found out who he is just a few days ago. He's inexperienced; he's basically an insult to your power." Shun didn't like saying that but he had to get Cynder's interest. "I'm stronger than him and more experienced. Plus, I've been a thorn in your side for a long time. Wouldn't it make sense to take out the stronger, more annoying dragon first?" Cynder looked at Spyro then back at Shun. She then cracked a smile.

"You know something," she said. "You're absolutely right." She let go of Spyro's tail and started walking to Shun. Spyro was still in to much pain to do anything.

"Shun!" he called. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry, Spyro," said Shun with a smile on his face. Cynder was now inches from him. At that moment, he launched a dark blast at Cynder's head. She tilted it to the side and avoided the attack. Shun then was about to take off. He got at least a few feet in the air when Cynder grabbed his tail and slammed him on the ground behind her. Shun lied on his back when Cynder placed her claws on his throat. It was hard enough to keep him grounded, but soft enough to prevent him from choking slightly. Shun tried to break free but it proved to be pointless.

"Do you honestly think I would fall for such a cheap ploy?" she said. "I do commend you though. Even with that wound slowing you down, you were still able to put up a pretty decant fight. Which is why I want you to join us, Shun." Shun looked at her both shocked and disgusted. "You are incredibly strong. My master can make you stronger. All you have to do is say yes."

"I'd rather die than betray everyone," he spat.

"Well that's too bad, but I can't let you go empty handed." She looks down at Shun's slightly torn bandage and saw that it was bleeding. "I see your wound has opened a little. Why don't I fix that for you?" With the other claw, she ripped off the bandages to see the wound. She placed her one talon on his wound and slow dug it in. Shun cringed with pain. She then started to dig in further and even move it around. That's when Shun cried out. His blood, curdling screams filled the air as Cynder continued to torture him. "Oh am I making it worse?" she said over the screams. "I'm sorry. Does this make things better?" She then proceeded to open the wound further. Shun's screams soon grew louder. Blood was flowing out of Shun once again, covering his stomach and Cynder's claw. Spyro watched in horror again. This is the third time he watched Shun getting hurt, and the third time he did nothing. Spyro turned from the scene, unable to watch anymore. Cynder pulled out her claw from the young dragon as his blood dripped from her talons. She liked it off and gave a little smile. "Well it's been fun, Shun, but this is where you die." She started to lift up her claw ready to deliver the finishing blow.

"Spyro," said Sparx. "I don't want to be a downer or state the obvious, but you've got to do something or she's going to kill him."

Spyro quickly looked up and saw Cynder about to finish it. Out of pure frustration, Spyro managed to get on his feet.

"Cynder!" he called in anger. Cynder and Shun looked at Spyro as he stood.

"Oh, I forgot about you," she said. "Good to see you're not dead yet."

"Leave him alone…" he said quietly.

"I'm sorry; I didn't catch that over your weakness. Can you speak louder?"

"I said…" during the pause his body began to release a rare purple aura, "…leave him **Alone!**" Spyro then fired a devastating purple blast that caught Cynder completely off guard, sending her flying across the altar. Spyro ran in front of Shun ready to defend him. Shun looked at Spyro completely surprised by his power. Cynder began to stand back up, now completely angry.

"You little brat!" she barked. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Spyro said nothing. He simpl**y** slammed his front claws down on the ground. Suddenly, the ground around Cynder's feet grabbed hold of her. She tried to break free but couldn't. Spyro closed his eyes and began to breathe in and out. Soon, three purple Spyro heads formed around him; one to the left, one to the right, and one above.

"You've caused enough pain, Cynder. Your reign of terror is over." The three Spyro heads all opened their mouths and a ball of energy began to form in each one. However, they were different balls of elements. Fire, ice, and electricity were all being formed. Spyro was forming another ball of energy. It gave of a purple haze as it grew. Then Spyro launched all four attacks at once. They soon formed together creating one ultimate attack. Cynder didn't want to be defeated so easily, so she pulled her head back and shot a dark blast to counter Spyro's attack. However, it was quickly knocked aside like it was nothing. The attack soon hit Cynder. She screamed in pain as she was caught in a vortex, receiving several slashes across her body. Soon there was very bright, very powerful, explosion that completely cover her. When the attack ended Cynder was on the ground moaning, and her legs free. The three heads soon disappeared and Spyro was back to normal, somewhat. He was rather woozy from the attack he used. When he finally snapped out of it he looked over at Shun.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Shun trying to get up. "I'll be fine. She didn't as deep this time." Shun looked over at Cynder and was surprised to see that she's still alive. He looked over at Spyro. "You held back didn't you?"

"Yeah," replied Spyro. "I just couldn't do it."

"Forget about finishing her!" yelled Sparx. "Did you see Spyro? Did you see the kind of power he used? I mean it was awesome. I didn't know you had that kind of power."

"Neither did I." said Spyro.

Suddenly, a black haze began to flow out of Cynder's body and go into the altar. As it did, Cynder began to become smaller. Her horns, wings, and tail all got smaller. Once all the black haze left her body, she was, now, no bigger than Spyro.

"She is just like us." said Spyro. Suddenly, everything around them began to shake violently. The altar began to pulsate violently. It soon began to suck in everything around them.

"We have to get out of here, now!" yelled Sparx. Spyro was about to fly off when he turned to see Cynder still lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Wait," he said. "We can't leave her behind."

"What? You want to save the beast that's been trying to kill us?"

"That wasn't her fault. She was being possessed by The Dark Master."

"Spyro," said Shun. "As annoying as Sparx is, he's actually right. Leave her, it's what she deserves."

"Shun, you heard Ignitus," said Spyro. "If it wasn't for The Dark Master, she would be our friend." Shun wanted to argue but knew their time was limited. He had no choice but to agree.

"Fine…just hurry up." Spyro jumped back and grabbed Cynder right as she was about to go into the altar. He turned around and started to fly away. Dodging rocks and anything else that was being sucked into the altar. Lucky for them, the vortex that they came from was still open. However, before they entered something started calling Spyro's name in a dark voice. Spyro turned to see who was calling him but saw no one. He assumed that his mind was playing tricks on him and ignored it.

They soon came out of the other side of the vortex, but, instead of flying, out they were thrown out. They all landed rather hard on the ground of what appears to be a forest. The sun was just starting to rise.

"Mommy," said Sparx as he started to get up. Spyro was the next to get up then Shun. Spyro looked over at Cynder and saw that she was still unconscious. He picked her up as they all started to make their way to the temple. When they arrived everyone greeted them back at the temple. However, it was short lived when they saw how batter and broken they were. They escorted the young dragons to the hospital wing where Cyril began to heal them.

After a few hours everyone was gathered around the pool of visions, everyone except Shun, who was stand near the doorway. Cynder was finally conscious as she sat next to Spyro.

"How are you feeling, Spyro?" asked Ignitus.

"Weak," Spyro replied. "That battle drained what little energy I had."

"It will take some time for your strength to return, but the most important thing is you are safe. You are all safe." He then turned to Cynder. "Cynder, ever since I failed to save you during the night of the raid, I always dreamed that you would return."

"Its ok sir," said Cynder. "I don't blame you."

"I still wish I could have done something."

"Ignitus," said Volteer. "It wasn't just you. We all failed."

"Even so, it's all behind us now. Thanks to you young dragons."

"So what's going to happen to The Dark Master now?" asked Flame.

"I don't know," said Terrador. "But we shouldn't dwell on that right now. We should be enjoying this time."

"Yes," said Cyril. "Today marks a great victory for us."

"Alright let's party!" said Sparx.

"Maybe some other time," said Ignitus. "Right now, we should rest. Spyro, why don't you take Cynder on a tour of the temple."

"Ok," said Spyro with a smile. "Come on, Cynder."

"Show her the showers, Spyro," called Ember before they left. As they past through the door, Shun gave Cynder a pretty nasty look. However, Cynder didn't see it.

For about an hour and a half Spyro took Cynder on a grand tour. He showed her many places that he was aware of. For the rest of the time they explored the temple, finding new places. Their tour soon ended in the sleep chambers.

"And this is where we sleep," said Spyro.

"Wow," said Cynder. "It's really nice, but how does everyone sleep in here. It seems pretty cramped."

"Not to worry. The guardians sleep in another room across the hall."

"Oh…hey Spyro," said Cynder looking down.

"What is it?" asked Spyro.

"Thank you for saving me. Not many people would do what you did, and everyone seems nice here."

"You're welcome. No one really blames you for what happened. Just know that you have friends here."

Before the conversation could continue, Shun came into the room.

"There you are." he said.

"Hey, Shun, what's up?" asked Spyro.

"Master Terrador wants to see you. He said he wants to talk to you about combat training."

"Oh ok. I'll see you later, Cynder." Spyro then ran out of the room. Shun then looked at Cynder who smiling slightly at him. He started to approach her.

"Hey, Shun," she said with a smile. "Thanks for saving me earlier. You're a good f-…"

"I'm going to stop you right there," he said in an angry tone. Cynder's smile was soon gone. "Spyro was the one that saved you not me. Now that that's out the way, let's get right down to it. I don't know what you're planning or what your angle is, but let me tell you this. Everyone else may trust you, but I don't. I know you, the real you. I know how sick, sadistic, and depraved you truly are. Unfortunately, I can't do anything. So let's get one thing straight. If you ever hurt my brother, or betray us in any way; I promise I will personally rip out your neck with my fangs." Cynder grabbed her neck out of fear, shaking slightly. "Do you get me?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I get you."

"Good." Shun was now heading out the door before he stopped. "Oh, and enjoy your stay. Remember, I'll be watching you." Shun was now fully gone from the room, leaving Cynder alone and on the verge of tears.

_Meanwhile…_

Far away from the temple, two apes were having discussing inside a mountain that was shaped like a dragons head.

"So," said the unknown ape. "Did Cynder complete her goal?"

"Yes, sir," said the other apes kneeling down. "The Convexity gateway has been opened."

"Are you sure of this?"

"I'm one hundred percent sure, sir. But…"

"But what?"

"Unfortunately, Cynder has been defeated in battle."

"It doesn't matter to me. She fulfilled her purpose. Who cares if she's dead?"

"Actually, sir. She's not dead. She's joined with the enemy."

"Really? So she's a traitor."

"Look's like, sir."

"What about you?" the unknown ape then began to circle the other one.

"Sir?"

"Are you a traitor like Cynder?"

"No, sir. I may have been under Cynder's command, but I am loyal only to you, sir."

"It's good to know where your loyalties lie, Moore. As a reward, I'm making you my new second in command."

"Thank you, sir." Moore said. "I won't let you down, Lord Gaul."

"You better not." Gaul sat back down on a throne still hiding in the darkness.

"Sir, what about the dragons?"

"Let them enjoy this 'victory' for now. Soon it will all be short lived when Malefor returns."

Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched. This person watched from a giant hourglass in the middle of what appears to be a library.

"So," said the unknown stranger. "It looks as if my plans are being pushed ahead of schedule. Soon, Spyro. You and I will finally meet."

_To be continued…_

A/N: Well there it is. I really hope you guys enjoyed part one. Part two will probably take a while to come out. I want to be ahead of the curve so I'll be making most of the chapters before I post. Also, if you guys happen to dislike Shun because of the way he treats Cynder. All I can say is don't give up on him. You're patience will be rewarded with a great conclusion. Well, see you all in part 2.


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